Virtuous Consideration

” She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” Proverbs 31:16

Consider |kənˈsidər|verb
•think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision: each application is considered on its merits
• think about and be drawn toward (a course of action)
• regard (someone or something) as having a specified quality:
• believe; think
• take (something) into account when making an assessment or judgmentThe Virtuous woman considers a field.  She does not make a snap decision, rather she uses wisdom and considers whether the purchase will be  worthy investment.   She is careful.Impulsive…
Being impulsive would be the opposite of taking time to consider something.  I know I am guilty of being impulsive, it is my nature.  I jump into things without giving it much thought.  My husband is the opposite.  He takes a long time to make a decision while I am impatient.  I want the ball to keep rolling.  Mark will pause for a long time while I look at him and snap my fingers and say “What is the holdup?”

He says in return, “I take time to figure out the depth of the water before I jump.  You jump before you realize the water is only 2 inches deep.”  Wisdom is precious.  That is why God gave me a husband that could warn me and stop me before I jump.  I have learned to wait on him.  I may speak of all my ideas, but I know now not to act on them unless he gives me the green light.  Because he is careful, he protects me from making big mistakes.

Before my husband buys anything, he reads hundreds of reviews and shops around at many different stores before he makes a purchase.  He asks counsel from me because he values my thoughts on things.  There have been many times I did not want to make decisions with him.  I wanted him to make the decision and I would love what ever he loved.  I have a husband that loves what I love, too.  He considers me when he does anything because he wants to please me.  At the same time, I want to please him and I want to follow him to the ends of the earth and back.  So anytime we consider, we also consider how it affects each other.  I think that is key to a happy marriage.  Taking time to consider the other person no matter what you are planning.

The virtuous woman is not impulsive.  She does not buy the first thing that she sees.  She shops around and considers all the options.  We know she also considers her husband and family because …The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.(Proverbs 31:11)
And because her husband knows that… “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” (Proverbs 31:12)
He TRUSTS her to make decisions about business.  I can not read this verse and say that it is not about a woman being some what of an entrepreneur.  She is a working woman.

How does she juggle it all?
She juggles it all by planning ahead as seen in the next few verses…She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.  She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.” (Proverbs 31:13-15).  We have to take this verse in its context.  She is faithful to her husband, she is hardworking, and she plans ahead.

We can all take something from her example.  Many of us have a home to keep up, a husband to please, children to teach, mouths to feed,  and food to buy.  We must care for sick children or take time to get to know our spouses and our children.  It all takes a lot of time and it is a lot to juggle.  Being a wife and mother is a lot of hard work and perseverance, but as we take time to consider how precious our role is, we know we must give it our all.  In giving our all, we will reap some pretty amazing rewards.

She BUYS it…
With The Fruit of Her Hands
The fruit of her hands is her increase or profit.  She has made some money and now she is investing this money.  It is money she made with her hands working diligently.  This is not money that was given to her.  When it says she buys this land, she buys it BECAUSE she has money from her own hands.  She does not spend the money she made foolishly.  She is taking time to use that profit to make more money.


She Plants the Vineyard…
A Vineyard is an investment because you do not get a return on it for a long time.  It takes years before you will see the fruit.  This Virtuous woman knows this.  She is careful in her planning.  She knows that if she just buys the land and does not plant it, she will not ever get her money back out of it.  It needs to be planted so that it can yield a fruit that can one day be sold.  As the fruit is sold, it will pay down the initial investment.  Once that sum is met, the rest will be profit for her and her family.


What does this mean for us?
Most of us do not have money to purchase a field.  I do not know about you, but sure do not!  What we can take from this passage is being a good steward to what ever God has given us.  If our husband’s work to provide an income you must consider all your purchases.  You must spend the money he works hard for in ways that will not leave you penniless.  Rather learn to pinch your pennies.  Pinching your pennies is a good virtue.  Making wise purchases is a good thing.  Now, on the flip side, some husbands provide a considerable income and they would feel slighted if you would not buy the things you wanted.  They take pride in spoiling their wife.  In all things, consider your husband and what would please him.  Do not spend money foolishly, that is the bottom line.

I have always worked.  I have started businesses and made money while I was also cleaning my home, serving my man, taking care of little ones, cooking, and keeping all my clients happy at the same time.  I have worked sometimes over 60 hours a week in my business.  I know, some of you would just love to throw the first stone.  But first, before you judge me, know that I have a lot of energy.  I push myself.  I plan ahead.  I want to spend time with my family, so I have had to figure out ways to juggle it all.  My husband gave me free reigns in business because he trusted me.  I went to bed early and woke up way before the others just to squeeze my work in, and that was easy because I always worked from home. I worked during nap times, but I never let my work interfere with my first calling-my calling as his help meet and as a mother.  My husband cherished that about me.  Many times I did not want to work, but he kept lifting me up, showing me that I could do it.  He knew I was born to be a hard worker.  I was when he met
me and he never wanted that to change.  He loves that I am creative and business minded.

Now, some of you have a husband that would not want you to work for money.  Consider that a precious gift.  So many times I have wished that I was in your shoes, where all I had to do was just that half of my responsibilities.  You do not have to work on customer relations, or deal with marketing competition, all the while you are changing diapers, wiping noses, and helping one of your kids figure out another math problem.  I feel it would be such a relaxed lifestyle than what I have always known.  But my husband knows what is good for me.  He knows I thrive on being busy.  It is like fuel in the tank.  The harder I work, the more I love and serve others.  It may be strange to others, but it works for us.

You must always consider what is best for your marriage, your family life and what ever is the Lord’s will in your life.  God makes us so incredibly unique, so being a virtuous woman could mean a lot of things.  You can be a virtuous woman just by doing what your husband leads you to do.   I think that is the main idea, that we apply ourselves, whole heartedly, to the most important things God has given us.  It is all an investment.  When we invest in the lives our our husband and into our children, we are investing in eternity.  One day we will get to see the fruit of our labor of love.  It may take time, but it will be worth its weight in gold.

 

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6 thoughts on “Virtuous Consideration”

  1. Thank you for this reminder. I have been dealing with some issues for the past couple of days and God has been speaking to me through this Blog. And some other ways. I am so blessed to have found y’all. I pray that God will continue to use you for His Glory and to Bless & encourage others.

  2. All these posts on the Proverbs 31 woman are very good, but it says she had servants. Yes she was very hard working, but she had help! I get so discouraged sometimes trying to do it all and becoming overwhelmed. Today is a good example of that. We have company coming over tonight, and I’ve been trying desperately to get the floor swept and mopped, but my 3 month old twins will not settle down and take their normal long nap. I have a thousand things to do (including a much needed shower) but instead I’m sitting here rocking one, when I put her down the other will wake, we’ve been doing this all morning….I’m not trying to complain, just frustrated right now, and wishing I had a servant girl to help me. I really do appreciate all the posts. And my 6 yr old daughter and I have been enjoying the cleaning videos. After we watched the first one, she went and cleaned her little doll nursery. She even got an old toothbrush and scrubbed all the little crevices, it was so cute!

    1. Dear Lisa, in the past I had consider that question of servants and it means in our reality today.
      I consider my washing machine, drying machine, bread maker, dishwasher, and all these appliances who serve me very well, as my servants. I enjoy them, knowing that they are gifts from God, and for some of them, gifts from my dear husband too!
      Hope that helps you, blessings,
      Daniele

      1. Daniele,
        Very true! Thank you for the reminder!! I am blessed with all those things you mentioned. I wonder then how I still can’t seem to get it all done!? God has shown me this is but a season tho, and there will come a time when my children are older that we will be able to get a lot more accomplished! I just have those days occasionally where everything hits at once, you know? Thank you again for your encouragement 🙂

  3. I love this post! What an encouragement in this season of my life. I always look to this verse for encouragement in running a business while homeschooling. God is confirming it to me through you.

  4. con·sid·er (kn-sdr)
    v. con·sid·ered, con·sid·er·ing, con·sid·ers
    v.tr.
    1. To think carefully about. – this love the most

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