Proverbs 31: 22-23

  

PROVERBS 31

22 - She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

23 - Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

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According to Dictionary.com, a 'tapestry' is:

a fabric consisting of a warp upon which colored threads are woven by hand to produce a design, often pictorial, used for wall hangings, furniture coverings, etc.

To me, then, verse 22 talks about a woman producing her own home furnishings and her own clothing, or at least knowing how to make her own.  When I was in jr. high school, there were two courses that the young women took (amongst all the academics):  sewing and cooking.  The young men took shop.  I know, sounds archaic, but that was a different time.

Sometimes DIY is a necessity, sometimes a matter of choice.  I'm not making a judgment.  If I need a loaf of bread for supper, would I rather pull bowls and spoons out of the cabinet, ingredients out of the refrigerator, measure, pour, mix, rise, punch, rise, bake and clean up or run down the block to the dollar store and grab a loaf?  That store-bought loaf would be back in my kitchen before you could finish reading this paragraph!

But what if weather prevented getting to a store?  What if there was a trucker's strike and already made goods in stores were sparse?  I'd surely want to have supplies on hand and the ability to make whatever I needed.  Unfortunately, I do not remember the source of this next comment, but like "they" say, "It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark".  Now that DIY was a necessity.  There were no Home Depots in Bible times.

Verse 23 shows that a P31 married woman helps to build and protect the good reputation of her husband.  I believe this is from a standpoint of doing good to someone you love rather than saying women are not as good as men.  But I'll save that particular debate for another day.

It doesn't mean that you go down to city hall, meet with the mayor, and tell him or her that your husband is a good guy that the mayor should really get to know.  (Although wouldn't we like to be a fly on the wall at THAT meeting!)

But when you love someone, you want to help that person succeed...whether it be in school, business, enjoying their hobbies, or developing their talents.  As someone you love honorably fulfills his or her obligations, they will be well thought of by their friends and associates.

I make no judgments about whether or not people actually do these things for themselves; that is not my place.  Everyone's circumstances and abilities are different.  I'm just saying the ability to make certain necessities and creature comforts can be a valuable skill.

I'll go first.  My husband returned to college recently, after a 20 year break.  He is taking basic classes now, and will major in anthropology.  He hates math, and thinks he cannot do it.  (I say that is half the problem right there.).  But since my degree is in Finance, and I've tutored math from a jr high to a post-graduate level, I am happy to help him

There are so many DIY skills that I need to improve ... I could go on for days.  I can make clothing for my family (with a pattern).  I can cook well enough to prevent starvation.  The point is, I'm not going to run out of things to work on anytime soon.

But say we are talking about developing new skills.  I would like to know how to make my own soap.  I don't really have a "good reason" for it, but it's something I've always wanted to try.

What about you?  What DIY skill would you like to develop or improve?