{Verse 13 - Point 4}

Proverbs 31:13

“ She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."

…She seeketh wool and flax…

Wool:  the fine, soft, curly hair that forms the fleece of sheep and certain other animals, characterized by minute, overlapping surface scales that give it its felting property.
 Flax:  a slender, erect, annual plant having narrow, lance-shaped leaves and blue flowers, cultivated for its fiber and seeds.

The virtuous, godly woman "seeks" wool and flax, these two basic materials to use in making clothes and garments.  The term "seek" could mean that she "seeks with care" or "cares for" the wool and flax. She carefully collects and gathers and cares for the wool and flax that she will use in making clothes for her household and perhaps for others as well.

Nowadays, we do not go seeking wool or flax, nor do we carefully gather and care for it… so how do we think about this part of the verse in THIS century? I think the key thing to think about is her desire to provide what she could for her family. It’s not like she could go to the store and buy all she needed, she was willing to put forth the work to give the needs of the home.

 Are we willing?

If something needs to be done around the home as a Mother or Wife … are we willing to do it? This can include so many things that apply to our lives now. Cleaning, cooking, getting groceries, making sure our husband & kids have appropriate clothing, laundry… think about what you can improve on in this modern day world we live in. This means that I can’t focus on learning how to crochet doilies (not that there’s anything wrong with that), sewing every piece of clothing my family owns, or dressing in couture to greet my husband at the door when he gets home from work (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But, I need to acknowledge and incorporate tools and issues that are apply to the lives of us 21st century women. It’s different for us all; none of us live the same lives… But, in general, there are things we can focus on to be a better help-meet to our husbands & mother to our children.

…And worketh willingly with her hands…

The word "willingly" is from the word meaning "delight, pleasure."   She takes great delight in her work.  Rather than being a laborious and boring chore, it is pleasant and enjoyable. 

Like I said earlier about crocheting & sewing… Most of us women don't delight in making clothes with our hands, maybe an every once in a while kind of hobby… but it’s so much easier now to shop for clothes at the mall … Instead of learning from us mothers how to sew and knit and crochet and mend, many children are too busy watching television or playing computer games.  Now, please do not take this as you should be doing all of those things, but instead look at the principal of that statement. Do we spend more time at the mall shopping for clothes with our husband & kids, or are we taking our free time to really bond and spend time with our loved ones? Possibly teaching our children something new, learning something about our soul mates … HOW are we spending that time with them? Are we putting it to good use, or could we do better? I think we ALL can do better & some are already better than others at this & it may come quite naturally to you, but I think in every woman there is room for improvement. So, think about that this week – challenge yourself & use time management wisely - try to work on your problem areas!
 ;-)

“The wise woman uses her time
 and individual resources in
the best way SHE can.”

L. Adams