Dancing the dance of the home {the virtuous wife}

"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband"

Proverbs 12:4  

Can I tell you a secret?

Sometimes, when we have music playing in the kitchen, I will dance with my children. 

I twirl around, with a small person in my arms, and they LOVE it! Music playing away, and the joy that we both feel is tangible! It's not a very Scottish-conservative-Baptist type thing to do, but it's a lot of fun! 

Imagine my surprise, when I was looking into another "woman" in Proverbs, to find out the root of the word "virtuous" is

khool - "A primitive root; properly to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), that is, (specifically) to dance"

To me, it was just like that twirling and whirling around I do in the kitchen! I wouldn't have considered that activity to relate to being virtuous, but when I stopped and thought about my life, there WAS a connection.

The word that "khool" is the root of is "khah-yil".  Its meaning  - "probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valour, strength".

Think about your role, as a wife and a mother.

If you are anything like me, your day is filled with jobs. You rush about, from one duty to another.  At your disposal is a wealth of resources that you utilise to the specifics of the job you have in hand.  Planning, working, and achieving a numerous host of tasks.

In fact, when you are at your busiest, you are probably whirling, twirling and whizzing from one thing to another, like someone waltzing around a room.

To be fair, most mothers are less ballerina or Viennese waltzer, and more of a jiving and jitterbugging mother! Less graceful and more energetic! We get the job done, but it may look like something from a comedy sketch - you bend down to pick something up, only to notice there is something a couple of feet away which you deftly hop over to rescue. You then notice that there are some cobwebs gathering and stretch up to remove them, only to trip up over a stray toy, which you pick up and toss, more accurately than any professional sportsman, into the toybox in the corner.  (Seriously, I can accurately pitch a toy in to the box, nearly every time, from quite a distance!). 

We cook, clean, and organise, in one, seemingly endless, dance sequence.  

You need only to look at Proverbs 31 to see the list of tasks that one woman can accomplish, if she sets her mind to it. THAT is virtue.  Being a force that accomplishes all she needs to do, to keep her home running efficiently.

That kind of woman - the one, dancing around with energy, joy and strength - whirling, twirling around in her dance of life, caring for her home - she's a crown to her husband. We adorn him, and place him in the highest position, by being everything we should be.  It brings him honour, strength and respect, when we are everything we need to be. It makes him feel like royalty, when we are working hard to make our home a place of industry and God-glorifying accomplishments.

Like an invigorating dance, this busy life makes us breathless, tired and glad for a rest.  But, it also fills us with energy, satisfaction and joy.  No less so, because we know it's a crown to our precious husbands, to BE that dancing" wife and mother.

Next time I am twirling around my kitchen with the children, I will remember that everything I am doing as a virtuous wife and mother, is making my husband feel like a king.

Titus 2 - Be sober?

I was reading Titus chapter 2 recently, particularly the passage teaching about how we are to behave as young women.  It struck me that it would be a good place to study through, phrase by phrase, and see what could be learnt from it.

I am tempted to jump to things further along, but if the order we are given is the order that God put it in, who am I to argue with it??

So, what does Titus 2 say?

"That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Titus 2:4-5

Now, let's get something straight first.  Just because it is directed to young women, does not mean that none of this applies to older women, too!  So, no running off, you older ladies! *winks*

Likewise, just because I am not an aged woman sharing this with you, does not mean you don't have to pay attention, either!

Ultimately, this is GOD'S word to us.  It is Him speaking to me, and to you.

So, the first instruction we are given?  To be sober.

Sober, in this situation,  has NOTHING to do with the lack of alcohol.  It is NOT an indictment to become teetotal.  THAT, my friends, is not a debate I will get into on here.

The word "sober" literally means to be serious.

Now, I don't know about you, but to me that sends out images of a very straight laced and sombre character.  Never a smile.  Never any laughter.

However, I don't think it is meant to be taken to that extreme.  We KNOW that the Bible says that laughter is a good thing, so it can't mean we are to be sombre all the time.  Rather, I think it relates to how we view and live out our lives in a broad sense.  There needs to be a sincerity about what we believe.  A seriousness in how we perceive God's Word, and how we live it out in our lives. A seriousness about things spiritual.

I think it is particularly crucial, when you go on to consider what follows in these two verses.  If you don't take them seriously, then you can basically go and do whatever you jolly well please in your life as a wife and mother.  But, no - the Lord first instructs us to be serious about our lives, and how we live them.

Serious about reading God's Word.

Serious about listening to God's Word.

Serious about understanding God's Word.

Serious about OBEYING God's Word.

Being serious in all these ways is crucial.  It's of primary importance if we are going to be fully committed to a life of obedience, honouring the Lord in all parts of our lives.

So many today, who are often heavily influenced by feminist thoughts, think we can throw verses away.  That we don't need to take them literally.  That they are only figurative.  That we they are cultural.  Perhaps that we only need to keep the spirit but not the letter of what it says?

But, NO!  This is VERY practical.  VERY literal.  VERY important.

What follows in these verses is of utmost importance, and so very, very precious.  God has deigned to give us words that apply to our very heart and soul, and we must endeavour to take them seriously, and fulfil them.

So, before I go any further, I want to search my own heart and make sure that I am taking God's Word seriously.  That I truly desire to honour God's ways above the world's ways, and most certainly above my own sinful heart's ways.

Am I sober? Are we serious about God, and His word to us as women?

I pray that God will make it to be so, and that I will prayerfully consider and obey what follows on from here.

Godliness with contentment

Do you know, life gets tough?

Did you know, that a lot of days it's far from easy?

Had you noticed, that when you are at your lowest, the devil is trying to just pull you further down?

That he doesn't WANT you to be happy?

That he doesn't WANT you to like your circumstances?

That more than anything else, he wants you to NOT like the plan that God has for you?

Marriage takes work.  There are REALLLLLY tough moments.

Moments when you are really not sure about how things are working out.

(*whispers*  that's what the devil says to you, anyway, in a quiet, subtle kind of way.)

It's lies, though.  ALL lies.

Trials are ALLOWED.  Allowed?

Yes, allowed.  God allows them to happen.  They are meant to be there.

But you have a choice.

WHAT choice?  A choice as to whether they HAPPEN?

NO.

You have to choose how to deal with them.

Are you going to deal with them GOD'S way, or YOUR way. (read that as "the sinful way")

There's no such person as a completely sinless and sanctified person.  I KNOW that.  I am not saying that's how you will be.

But, do you know what?  We need to at least TRY!

If God's Word tells us we are to have self-control, then we are to have self-control.  Yes, even though our child is having a wobbly, again - even though our spouse may say or do something that we want to give an "I know better" retort back to - even though someone has said something, or done something hurtful to us...AGAIN..... we still need to have self-control in what we think, say and do in return.

If God's Word tells us to love...to love in spite of failures - in spite of the faults of others - in spite of a day being tough - then, we MUST love.

Love....unconditionally.   

 Love.....unfailingly.  

 Love....with faith, with hope, with endurance.

What does it all, in essence, boil down to?

The title of this post.

First, seeking to live a godly life.  Seeking God's Word about how we ought to behave.  How we ought to think.  How we ought to speak. 

 DOING it.  

LIVING it.

BEING it.

And, what else?

Being CONTENT.  

Accepting our circumstances.

Not seeking something else 

ALL. 

THE. 

TIME.

Are you a wife and a mother?  THAT'S what you need to get on with doing. There's nothing better out there for you.

Yes, you may be busy from dawn up until sundown (and the rest).  But, if it's God's plan for you, is there anything better?

You may have a husband that is busy...who gets to go OUT.  Who gets to meet other REAL, GROWN UP PEOPLE!  You get to be with the children all day long...

The precious, wonderful, amazing little beings that God has blessed you with. That need you SO much.  That will be formed for the future by how you raise them, deal with them, love them.  Who are SO blessed by having you there with them.  YOU - the MOTHER.

Dear, sweet sister.  Do not long for something else.  Do not long for the "trials" to be gone.

Embrace the trials.  Embrace them as a time to put into practice the words that are given to us by God.   As a time to live out the life that we are blessed with, DESPITE the trials.

LIVE a life that demonstrates that godliness WITH contentment....is GREAT gain.

Not just required.

Not just to be endured.

But, GREAT gain.

Keep looking to Jesus.



"But godliness with contentment is great gain." 
1Timothy 6:6  

Linking in with A Holy Experience.

A new start after a long absence!

I'm back.  Don't want to make any rash promises about how often there will be any posting, though!

There have been a few issues that have come up lately, that it would be good to share with others, and this seems like the best platform to use to share them.

What?

My new Prayer/Home Journal, for one.  Books.  Definitely books! Websites.  Life in general.  Being a wife and mother in particular.  Home-schooling (for those interested!).

I'm pretty certain, knowing me, that I will find things to talk about!.....

Soon.  Very soon.  I'll post again.

Links

As I add links on the sidebar (over there, to your right -------> )I will tell you a bit about them before you go diving in!

So, the first one I have on there is CMOMB - Christian Mom's of Many Blessings. Now, let me first establish, you do not need to have a humungous family in order to join! You just need to agree to their statement of faith (I do, and I am fussy about such things!) and embrace the role of motherhood. It is a forum for discussion on a multiplicity of subjects relating to the role of women. Everything from scriptural discussions, to recipes, to gardening, to sharing prayer requests. I have personally found great encouragement on the forum, as I have got to know ladies across the world. You can use it simply as a resource, or you can join in discussions.

The two ladies - Ruth, and Gwen - who run the site, are sweet, godly ladies. I have learned much from them, in many area's. Let me sneak Ruth's blog in too.... here.

Go and have a look, and if you join, tell them you found it through me!

Have a wonderful day!