The Virtuous Woman - Part 4
Updated: Dec 8, 2020
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
Proverbs 31:25-30
Idleness
So – I’m a stay-at-home mom. I’m proud to be that
and so glad I can spend quality time with my two boys. Now, i’m not going to get into the argument of whether women should stay at home or go to work. Both are equally important and you have to do what’s right for your family. And only you can decide that.
That being said, I must share that, on the topic of idleness, there are some that accuse stay-at-home moms of being idle. You know, we sit around eating chocolates and watching soap operas all day long. I had to learn very quickly not to take those comments to heart and to remind myself that as long as I am being productive I will prove those theories wrong.
Boy, am I busy! I’m not going to state my daily chores (because that would take up the entire blog post) but let me tell you, i’m just as exhausted by the end of the day as
when I used to work full time outside of the home.
And it’s not about filling your day with stuff. With two kids at home, you don't even have to try to fill your day with stuff. It’s about being productive. For you stay-at-home moms – it’s about investing in your family and maintaining your home so that it’s livable – not perfect – livable. That means making the meals, taking care of the household tasks, getting your jobs done for work (whether you work from home or at the office) and planning ahead. You can't be productive if you are idle.
It's so easy to be idle, especially now. How many times have you caught yourself spending way more time on Facebook or Netflix than you planned on? I'm so guilty. You're tired, you want a break, then the break of 15 minutes turns into an hour. An hour you can't get back. Then you're back to being flustered. And let me also clarify, rest does not equal idleness. But sometimes, depending on what we choose to do as rest, actually leads to idleness. So it's also about being wise on what we choose to rest. Rest, according to the dictionary*, means to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength. Keep this in mind when you're deciding what to do for relaxation. It should refresh you, and it should help you recover your strength.
Moms, we have to find the balance between rest and hard work. God requires us to do both. It's a discipline that we must learn, and learning comes with making mistakes. So, don't be too hard on yourself when you mess up.
In a nutshell, it’s always giving your best. Some days are harder than others. Any mother will tell you that life is messy, and sometimes things don't go as planned, but if we walk in grace and the faith that God gives us to push forward, we will be good hard workers. And isn't it true that the best feeling is when you've worked hard and see the end results - things are done, things are organized, things are running smoothly?
Proverbs 13:4 says,
“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
That’s a promise from God’s word that when we are diligent we will see the rewards. A virtuous woman keeps herself busy enough to stay away from idleness. Busy enough. Not too busy. Always ask God to guide your steps. He's the one who knows the right balance for us. Don't forget to ask for wisdom too!
Be blessed, mama!
*www.dictionary.com