When I was 17, having just finished high school in
Hawaii, I told my mom that I was going to move out and live in the D.C. area.
My mom agreed. On the afternoon before my evening flight, I sat with my mom.
She could see I was disturbed. She asked me what was wrong. I told her that I
was bothered, when my two older brothers wanted to move out, they were both 20
at the time and were only moving 15-20 miles away, she argued with them. Here I
am 17, moving over 4,800 miles away…and she helped me pack! She laughed and
looked me straight in the eye, smiling and said, “Nathan, of my four boys you
are the one I have never worried about, I know you could always talk yourself
into a meal!”
The qualities that a godly woman has can challenge men so much, if they are wise it makes them better men.
We saw that a godly woman is Mature.
As we continue through Proverbs 31, let’s discover more of
these qualities.
A second quality of a godly woman is that she is an Overseer
Overseer
Defined: To look or see after, to take care of
13 She finds wool and flax and busily spins
it. 14 She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. 15
She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the
day’s work for her servant girls. 16 She goes to inspect a field and
buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She is
energetic and strong, a hard worker. 18 She makes sure her dealings
are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. 19 Her hands are
busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.
She manages things. Notice the kinds of things; big and small! A
great Christian leader used to ask his disciples 9 questions. One of them was
quite revealing – How does he handle the little things? Pick up his clothes, make
his bed, and clean the dishes…because it is the little things that show
the true character of a person.
This woman manages all the tasks in her life, exciting and mundane.
20 She extends a helping hand to the poor and
opens her arms to the needy.
She manages her responsibility of being part of the human
community by extending care to those less fortunate. It is normal to take care
of your “own”,
but the heart is revealed when we love those we do not know. She has
compassion.
21 She has no fear of winter for her
household, for everyone has warm clothes.
She manages her future by being prepared. This is proactive
oversight, thinking ahead and looking for possible needs.
22 She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses
in fine linen and purple gowns.
She manages herself. She uses her skills to bless her family
and she pays attention to how she looks. This is not vanity, but an
understanding that how she looks does reflect how she views what it means to be
a temple of the Lord and how she represents her family. I understand this
because I am one of those that struggle with weight. The important issue is “struggle”.
When we just don’t care and give in, our weaknesses will rule us! We all have
weaknesses, but we should never give up or give in to them. God honors the
struggle!
24 She makes belted linen garments and sashes
to sell to the merchants
She knows how to manage “extra.” This shows she understanding the
stewardship of opportunity. After taking care of what she believes is needed
for her family, she uses the extra as investment. This would apply not only to
money, but also to time. Many blow every extra moment they have on useless
things. A good overseer understands that even leisure time should be invested…it
should produce restoration and renewal in our life.
27 She carefully watches everything in her
household and suffers nothing from laziness.
She carefully watches the ways of her children, husband and
home, and does not model laziness or idleness. This is not a woman that is “trapped” – no
she understands the importance and influence of her life and desires to be a
faithful steward.
There are four more qualities to come, but let’s take a
pause and consider what kind of Overseer are we. Where do we fall short, what
do we plan to do about it? Where do we excel – are we modeling it to our
disciples?
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