The Proverbial Woman Strikes Again!

She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust]. Proverbs 31:18 Amplified

I have always enjoyed reading about the proverbial woman, hoping that one day I could be that whole and complete. I still long for that. This morning I chose to read about her in scripture through other versions of the Bible such as The Message and in the Amplified. Why? Because, it is neat to see the wording explained so differently. The scripture above in the Amplified though really spoke to my heart and I had to just read it over and over.

Sometimes working women get looked down upon by those who have chosen to stay home, and vise versa. When we work as if unto the Lord, we are all in the right. I will say working outside the home does bring challenges, but for me it also brings much pleasure. There was only two years since I graduated High school that I did not work, and that was when the twins were born. Daycare/childcare for three children was just not worth being away from my babies and home for what would be left of my paycheck at the end of each week.

"She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good"
When we work with and for God, we are allowed to not only taste His goodness, but we see the fruitfulness from that work. In my life, it is coming forth just so! That is how you know your in God's will. The fruitfulness is fulfilling. The fruitfulness keeps you going, even when the moment may seem tough. Some might argue that the "gain" here is the paycheck, and while yes that is nice, for me the gain is from my own growth in growing in all that God is teaching me while working. There is a lot that I would not be able to embrace if I stayed home. There is a part of me that wouldn't grow if I wasn't working and doing what God has called me to do and be.

"her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust]."

Keeping up the energy to not only work but to also continue being the proverbial woman the rest of the hours of the day is tough. It's not easy. When we get tired, sometimes we misconstrued motives of others and even ourselves, words that were spoken or left unspoken, or even a "look" that was caught but not spoken of. Those things bring on self doubt, distrust, fear and can be used to cause dissension and discord even if these things are simply just within. Clearing the air of these things however, sweeps the slate clean and allows a fresh breeze to come in. We get weary when we worry. God calls us to NOT get weary in doing good. So, it can be said that God calls us not to worry!

No matter what God has called you to do, where to work, or even how to go through the process, He has called you to one thing. LOVE! Speak love, let love be the action in your day, and whisper love to everyone you speak to. Why whisper? When your in a room, and you whisper ~ it encourages others to listen harder!