Proverbs 31:20-22

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.  When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.  She makes herself coverings of tapestry; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

I love to give, in fact I can almost give to a fault!  When Bill and I were in Africa last year and we saw the poverty, I just wanted to be able to buy the Masai tribe their well for $30,000 and sponsor a half a dozen children through Compassion over there, BUT, reality is …… we can’t afford to do all of that!  In these verses the virtuous part of this woman is the fact that she was balanced in the area of giving!

She loved to give, which is something we are all called to do!  Take a look at Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, shall men give unto your bosom.  For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”  It is a command that we give, but she was balanced!  She reached out to the poor, but while she was doing it she wasn’t afraid for what her family would eat or what they would wear because she knew they were already prepared and cared for on every level.

Now, notice that even though it is the last thing mentioned in these three verses, SHE is clothed in fine linen and purple!  She took care of herself she wore the clothes and color of royalty!! Remember this chapter is from the Kings Mother telling him what to look for in a virtuous woman and here she is telling him how important it is to have a woman who will take care of herself!  We as women too often feel guilty for doing things to take care of ourselves but in order to be all we can be for God, we need to feel good about who we are and we need to take care of ourselves as well as our families.  Once again, I don’t mean go crazy and create a need in another area of your household but do take care of yourself!

I heard one preacher talking to women who said, “don’t go crazy and overdo it, but if the barn needs painting by all means paint it ladies”.  He was actually trying to be fun to these verses is:

Take care of yourself and your family and give as God blesses and calls you to give.  As the verse says in Luke, pay it forward!

Quote:
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”  Martin Luther King