It’s Day 4 of our Proverbs 31 Woman Bible Study!

Today, we’re going to dig into Proverbs 31:13:

She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.

In yesterday’s lesson, we learned being a Proverbs 31 Woman is about bringing goodness to our husbands and how valuable and precious we are to God, our family, and the Body of Christ. You can get caught up with yesterday’s lesson here!

Today’s video lesson we will look at what it means to be a willing, eager worker, as well as our attitude about work. Our perspective of work matters to God. It helps to shape and define our individual purpose and calling. The Proverbs 31 Woman is a woman who “works,” just not in the way the world views it.

 

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Let me ask you this. . .

Are you a willing, eager Worker? Have you ever wondered what that means and how you can cultivate those characteristics?

Let’s dig in and discover the true meaning of being a willing, eager worker! You may be pleasantly surprised. . .

Tune into today’s video lesson!

 

Proverbs 31 Woman Bible Study – Day 4
(A Willing, Eager Worker)

So, let’s look at wool and flax and why these would be important concepts in this scripture.

Wool and flax were the two most important materials, in biblical times. They provided clothing, garments, fabrics for personal and home use, and the ability to use these items for trade and commerce.

Wool was a highly traded material in biblical times. It is actually one of the oldest materials used to make clothing, garments, fabrics, and other traded goods.

Flax is the material used to make linen. We see linen mentioned all throughout scripture:

• Jesus buried in fine linen
• Priests wore linen
• It is used in many analogies in the books of Proverbs and Psalms

Here’s something interesting to note about the harvesting of flax – they would take the entire plant (roots and all) out of the ground, then lay out on roof tops to dry, so it could be  – closest to the sun.

This chore was especially observed for women because of the delicacy of this job. The roots were very delicate needed to be preserved. Traditionally, only women’s hands could handle and perform this task, as men would be too rough with the plant.

One final thing about flax. . . 

From this plant could be made two kinds of linen:

• Fine and almost see-through, like silk. This was called “fine linen.” Royal people, the wealthy, and priests usually wore this. It was also used in the Temple and Tabernacle.
• Thick and hard. This was often used as carpet in homes.

As you can see, flax has tons of versatility and uses! This woman sought after the most versatile, most used, and highest commodity fabrics to work with willingly and eagerly.

Willing, Eager Worker

We are told she worked willing with her hands, using wool and flax. Here’s a question to ask yourself. . .

Am I a willing, eager worker?

Am I willing and eager to find the best for my family and then put my hands to work with it? (Like the Proverbs 31 Woman?)

Here’s one caveat. . .

Colossians 3:23 tells us that we are to work as we are working unto the Lord.

Our focus is to be on God – not our husband, family, children, or anyone else.

(This is where it gets a little bit tricky.)

Yes, we want them to be happy with our work for them. But let’s face it, sometimes our families can be thankless for the work we do for them. If we are relying upon their thankfulness or praise for our work, we can become very disappointed and disillusioned. This is where we have to remember who we ultimately work for – God and Him, alone.

We also want to remember that work is a gift.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 tells us – we should take pleasure in our work, as this is a gift from God.

In other words, God wants us to find work that is enjoyable and pleasurable. Work is indeed a gift. It is His gift to us.

Regardless of the work you do (homemaker, work outside of the home), God’s gift to us is, in fact, this work and we should enjoy it!

It’s a whole lot easier to be a willing, eager worker, when the work you do is enjoyable, wouldn’t you agree?

Now granted, not all work is fun.

Scrubbing toilets, cleaning poopy diapers, and tending to children with projectile vomit is not fun. At. All.

(Can I get a witness?)

I’m sure there are a number of tasks we can add to this list of not-so-fun-or-enjoyable-work.

However, this is where we go back to Colossians 3:23, and remember who we are working for. We also need to shift our focus about our work.

• Scrubbing toilets means that I have a home with indoor plumbing and people in it, whom I love dearly.
• Poopy diapers means I’ve been blessed to be a mother, either by birth or adoption.
• Projectile vomit means I have children who are on this side of heaven, which I have the pleasure and honor of caring for.

Being an eager, willing worker is really all about perspective.

Bringing The BEST To Our Family And Home

We see from the Proverbs 31 Woman that she sought the best (wool and flax), brought it home, was willing to work with her hands, for the benefit of her family and home.

Here’s a question I want you to consider. . .

Are you seeking what God considers valuable, bringing it home, and then working willing and eagerly with our hands for our family and household?

Our best work will lead to profit! – Proverbs 14:23

Our best work will lead to riches! – Proverbs 10:4

Our best work will lead us to plenty! – Proverbs 12:11

I believe, the Proverbs 31 Woman gave her best and worked with what she had. In the end, she wound up having plenty!

She found valuable things, with multiple uses, which could be used to bless her husband, children, family, and home!

You don’t have to have the best of the best (home, car, clothing), but be willing and eager to use what you have to Glorify God. With this mindset and character trait, you will have plenty for you and your household!

Work your land!

Be diligent with work!

Be willing and eager to work!

Watch how God transforms your work, into His best for your life and your family!

Work is a gift! Let's be willing and eager to embrace it! #p31Click To Tweet

Want More?

I pray today’s lesson blessed you BIG! We have so much more to glean and learn in our Proverbs 31 Woman Bible Study together!

Be sure to check out the next lesson in The Proverbs 31 Woman Bible Study Series! We’re going to talk about becoming that “good thing” to our husbands and why this is so important to him and our marriage.

Let’s Chat!

We learned that our work is a gift from God and we should be eager and willing to work. What is your attitude towards work?  How does today’s reading change your perspective of work? I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can chime in, by clicking here!

Or you can head over to Facebook and share your thoughts with me there!

 

 

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