Proverbs 31 part 2

CEV: She is good to him every day of her life.

AMP: She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life in her.

MSG: Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.

I have made it my motto to ask myself everyday 'How can I do my husband good today?' Sometimes I will ask him if there is anything I can do to help him. Sometimes it's as simple as picking up an item from the store or running to the bank for him. Another practical way of helping him is by taking on the monthly balancing of our checking accounts. He hates to do it, and since I used to be a bank teller, it's an easy task for me. (Well, provided that he remembers to write down every check!)

One time I noticed that the dryer was needing to be pulled out from the wall and cleaned really well. Since Dean was working fifteen hour days, I didn't feel right about mentioning it to him. One day, I got brave and decided to try and tackle this unpleasant job myself. I was so pleased when I was finished! I took great pleasure that evening in telling him what I had managed to accomplish that day, and I could tell he was pleased, as well.

Often, when I ask how I can help, he will ask me to pray for him. He is depending on ME to pray for him. He's not asking the church, he's not asking his mother, but he is asking ME to pray for him. I can't stress enough how important this is. The time that really sticks out in my mind is when I was pregnant. I felt an intense need to pray for his safety. The next day, he fell twelve feet off of a ladder, landing on his back. Other than being very sore for many weeks, he had no serious injuries. A dear sister told me one time that she has no doubt that my prayers spared his life. Had I not prayed, I believe that I would have delivered my daughter, only two weeks later, as a widow.

One year, I looked diligently for bargains to use for Christmas gifts. I was able to buy $220 worth of items, and I paid less than $25 for all of it. I never said anything to him that I was doing this. I waited until he moaned about coming up with the money for Christmas. What fun it was to be able to say: "It is bought AND paid for!"

One of the best ways I think we can help our husbands is by getting the book The Power of a Praying Wife. I often use that book during my devotional time. It is loaded with scripturally based prayers, and praying God's Word is very powerful. Our husbands are to be #1 on our priority list (after God, of course), so shouldn't we make him #1 on our prayer list?

The verse in the Amplified Bible mentions comforting and encouraging him. A lady I know sends her husband off to work with a kiss, and these words: "God's favor and success go with you." Find ways to bless and encourage him. Call his office before he even arrives, and leave messages for him. Put a love note in his car, where he will see it as he leaves in the morning. When my husband had a beeper, we had a code that I would use. If he saw a '3' pop up, he knew that it meant, 'I love you.' If he got a message that said, '545' or '615,' he knew that I was telling him that supper would be ready at either 5:45 or 6:15. Giving him some advance notice would help him to know when to wrap things up for the day so that he could join us at the dinner table.

Many times in the evening, we are tired, but it's important to be there for our husband. If he needs comforting because of how hard things were at work, we need to work hard to affirm him. Men tend to see their worth as having to do with their occupation. We can affirm them apart from their job.

One mistake we often make in affirming our husband is by focusing on his tender qualities. While it's wonderful for our husband to be tender and sensitive, he needs to know that we appreciate his masculinity. Try complimenting something about his body, and watch him puff up like a proud peacock does when his feathers are displayed!

As a virtuous woman, we should seek opportunities to do him good, living our lives to love him, not in word only, but in deed. This is our God-given task, and we should delight in doing it. No one else is called to do him good. God has given that assignment to US! What a ministry!

� 2004, Stacy R. Miller

CEV: With her own hands she gladly makes clothes.

AMP: She seeks out wool and flax and works with willing hands to develop it.

MSG: She shops around for the best yarns and cottons and enjoys knitting and sewing.

I do NOT like to sew. Besides, I have heard that sewing can be quite an expensive hobby. The ladies who lived in the time when Proverbs 31 was written didn't have Walmart, JC Penney, Sears, or even garage sales and thrift shops where they could shop. They did almost everything themselves.

The closest I can come to living out the above verse is by doing my best to use my hands, gladly checking garage sales for clothing for our family. I also check the clearance racks and thrift shops. It can be time-consuming, and there are days when I come home with nothing except exhaustion. Rather than focusing on that, I must train myself to focus on the times when I have been so blessed for the effort which I put forth. Many times, I will pray before I go shopping or to garage sales. Then, if I don't find anything, I knew that it wasn't God's timing for me to have the items for that day. I must remember that my life is in His hands, and He is not going to let us go without clothing.

I would say that at least 75% of my daughter's clothing comes from garage sales. A few years back when I lost a significant amount of weight in less than 30 days, I found that it was necessary to buy new clothing because I had nothing that fit me anymore. I still invested in the effort to check the clearance and sale racks, and did very well with my purchases. I also visited the Goodwill store a lot. I don't remember the last time that I bought a new outfit because I have done so well at garage sales over the last two years. The items which I have found have been like new, and everytime I wear them, I get many compliments. Bless the Lord for His provision!

Often, when I come home from a day of going to garage sales, I will figure up how much I spent. Then, I figure up how much it would have cost me to buy the items new. Seeing the bottom line makes it easier for me to do this task joyfully. I now see it as one of my missions to 'do him good.' (Prov. 31:12)

With as bad as the clothing styles are right now, we may all be forced to revert back to making our own clothing. Before I do that though, I am going to pray for God to raise up some clothing designers who see it as their mission to offer modest clothing for a modest price!

� 2004, Stacy R. Miller

CEV: She is like a sailing ship that brings food from across the sea.

AMP: She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuff; she brings her household food from afar.

MSG: She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.

One way I bring back exotic surprises is by watching the grocery ads and buying meat when it is on sale. I can save a huge amount of money simply by taking the time to plan my menu around the grocery sale items.

As far as bringing my food from afar, when I get in a cooking slump, where I feel very uninspired, I will often go to the library and pick up some recipe books. It always seems to help to try new recipes. My mom subscribes to a magazine that has lots of recipes which have been sent in by other subscribers. When she has finished looking at the magazine, she passes it on to me. Many times, the recipes are from all over the country, enabling me to 'bring food from afar.'

Sometimes, it's not convenient to go from store to store, trying to catch the bargain prices. Being that the stores where I often shop are all located right near each other, it's rare for me to need to spend a lot of extra time in traveling to take advantage of those good bargains.

Many of you probably live larger towns, and you won't want to waste money on gas, trying to save money on groceries. If you have a Walmart in your area, you can take the ads from other stores, and they will match the competitors ads. This even works on grocery items. However, it won't work on items which say "2 for $5," etc. This is another way to bring your 'food from afar,' yet still 'do him good all the days of your life.'

� 2004, Stacy R. Miller