Monday, March 25, 2013

Proverbs 31: 22-23

  Marriage Moment


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?

9 comments:

  1. Great great great observation.
    Thanks for the shout out! If you stopped by to link up and realized the inlinkz button was missing, I have it back up. I've been having coding issues all day today. :( But you are welcome to hop back in and add it. Thanks
    Renee

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  2. Hmmm I'd buy the bread or forget it if there was a storm sounds like way too much work haha like to be able to fix my own stuff, i.e. car and such if need be.

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  3. I could have a never ending list on improving myself, but I am certain I would run out of time eventually ! Did you find homes for all those puppies yet???

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  4. I fear my domestic skills (sewing, cooking from scratch,etc.) peaked years ago and are in decline. But working with Habitat for Humanity and with the Disaster Recovery team at our church, I'm learning new and different DIY skills. I may never need them for myself but it's sure nice to use them to help others.

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  5. So true! These verses are probably my favorite out of this chapter. I think we can give so much honor to our husbands in the very way we refer to them. Do we complain about their failures, or do we build them up? And as far as DIY, there's a lot of stuff I can do. But one thing I'm not good at and that's mechanics and electrical. Fortunately for me, hubby is good in both of those areas and so he is usually able to fix the problem himself. :) Yes, I could learn, but I'm usually content to let him "have at it" :)

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  6. I'd like to know how to build stuff, carpentry work.

    One of my favourite quotes is the one you mentioned re Noah's Ark - plan ahead.

    I'm familiar with Proverbs 31 and many people have come up with many meanings but my simple take on it is:

    Look after yourself, your home, your family, do the best with what you have, put your best foot forward, stand tall.

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  7. I love learning so I'm always attracted to DIY things. I wish I had time to learn how to make everything on my own!
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  8. @Renee - thanks for letting me know about the link-up! I've had so much difficulty with my "Mental Health Mondays" link-up, so I feel your pain there.

    @Pat - being able to to fixes on our cars is a valuable skill. On a trip with my family, we had some folks tell us it would take $600 to fix our vehicle. My husband and his Dad fixed it themseslves for the cost of the part - $60!

    @Cindy - It's the same for all of us really. I guess the important thing is that we keep learning! (And we are still working w/the local Humane Society to find homes and fosters for the last 3 pups.)

    @LD - That is so cool! Good on you for helping out others. I've modified a recently popular saying to, "It takes a village to raise a village," and that is just what you are doing with your new skills!

    @Kendra - Hubby and I also have a most fortunate collection of skills between the two of us. He is such a computer-wizard that if he weren't around, my on-line time would probably be limited to about an hour a day at the library!

    @Michelle - I really like your "simple" interpretation of Proverbs 31. Many people try to make things more complicated than they are.

    @Nutschell - You are not alone in that! Sometimes letting other people do things for us is harder than doing them ourselves. :O)


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  9. I'm popping in from the a-z challenge, and I have to say, I love finding other believers in the blogosphere! Am happy to follow. Visit me, if you'd like:
    from The Dugout

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