Proverbs 31:17
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
Do you work vigorously?
I’d like to say I do. But…honestly, there are days when I’m just not feeling it. I get up and I’m still sleepy. I get Hubby’s coffee cup and lunch ready to go and the second he’s out of the driveway, I snuggle back into my bed. Or I may check my email and play on the internet…..for an hour. Then, I fix the kids some breakfast and check in on Facebook. Then I may start a load of laundry and make the bed and then I check my email again. And then the weather. And then Facebook again. Anything to keep from doing what needs to be done.
Just keepin’ it real.
Not every day is like that, though. Some days I’m on top of things. I get the laundry done and get the house clean and still have time to do something awesome with my kids and bake some bread and cook a nice dinner. Yeah, those days I feel like SuperMom!
But, do I work vigorously? Ummm….
I know I can do better. I need to do better. I need to work vigorously. Every. Single. Day.
Oy. I really do struggle with this one. I’m working on it, though.
her arms are strong for her tasks.
Have you ever heard the phrase “If mom goes down, the whole ship sinks”?
Or something like that.
Anyway, my point is: as a wife and mother, I have a lot of people depending on me. Hubby depends on me to take care of the kids and the house so he can go to work every day and make a living for us. The kids depend on me to provide them with clean clothes and at least 3 meals a day. They depend on me for transportation. For comfort when they’re sick. To listen when they need to talk. The list goes on.
If I’m not here to take care of my family, who will?
That’s what the second part of this verse says to me. My arms have to be strong for my tasks.
I need to take care of myself. And so do you! As moms and wives, we tend to put ourselves last. We’re so busy taking care of everyone else that we don’t take care of ourselves – or at least not as well.
In the past 11 years, I’ve gained 75 pounds. Ugh. I can’t believe I just admitted that on the interwebs. Oh well, keepin’ it real I guess. In that time, I’ve exercised and dieted and lost a few pounds, but eventually I’ve gained it back. And then some.
Earlier this year, my dad was having some health problems. Long story short, he ended up going for a heart catheterization and found out that he needed a quadruple bypass. My dad is only 20 years older than me. He isn’t overweight and he works vigorously. How could his heart be in such bad shape? His diet isn’t that bad. He only eats sausage on the weekends ;o)
Every single cardiologist that came in to see Dad while I was there, told me it was my wake-up call. My grandfather died of a massive heart attack when I was two. My grandmother died of congestive heart failure when I was eighteen. My dad’s sister has had a slew of heart procedures and is *this close* to having to have bypass surgery too. It’s in my genes. (Thanks, Dad.)
But, I don’t want to have to go through what my dad has gone through in twenty years. I don’t want my kids to have to see me sick. Who knows, I may not have twenty years. They depend on me. Hubby depends on me. I need to make sure I’m here for them.
When Dad had his surgery, I decided to change the way I eat and lose some weight. I bought a workout video and a bunch of healthy foods. I was going to get healthy! I started out strong. I was eating really healthy stuff and working out with my video, despite my children snickering at me while I tried to keep up with the girl on the screen. I lost a little over 15 pounds! Then I went on vacation and stopped doing the videos and started eating lots of cupcakes and I’ve gained back all but about 10 pounds. Bleh.
So, in light of today’s post, I’ve decided to get back with the program. My goal is to lose 40-50 pounds. Maybe by telling you about it, I’ll be more likely to stick with it this time. I have to do this!
I started by walking two miles last night. My poor little wiener dog was worn out by the time I got him home! But, it felt good. Once school starts back, I plan to walk and exercise each morning after I drop the kids off. With them being at school, hopefully I won’t be so tempted to eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for lunch or bake so many “sweet treats”.
I have to take care of myself, so I can take care of the people who depend on me.
What do you do to take care of yourself? How do you keep yourself motivated to work vigorously? I’d love to hear from you!
Proverbs 31:16, Part 2
I’m so sorry for the delay. After my last post, I apparently broke my blog. Don’t ask. It’s fixed now and we can carry on!
If you didn’t catch Part 1 of verse sixteen, you can go read it here. If you want to read all of my Proverbs 31 posts, go here.
Let’s recap the verse, shall we?
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
In my last post, I told you that I feel this verse speaks more about making wise purchases and being frugal more than buying a field and planting a vineyard. I also gave you links to many of my favorite couponing resources.
These days, I don’t use as many coupons as I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good bargain. It just seems lately that the stuff I was using coupons on the most was a lot of processed foods and chemical-laden cleaning products.
So, I’ve made a few changes in the way my family eats, cleans, and therefore shops.
I don’t buy “convenience foods”. Meaning, I make almost everything from scratch. No more frozen pie crusts and canned biscuits for me. Cake mixes are out too. So are pancake mixes, cold cereals, packets of gravy mix, rolls of refrigerated cookie dough, and store bought breads (usually).
I figure it’s cheaper for me and healthier for my family if I just buy bags of flour and make stuff from scratch. My family bragged and bragged on how awesome the buttermilk pancakes I made were. They never complimented my pancakes from a mix. I’m no longer afraid of making my own pastry dough now that I’ve tried it and succeeded. I actually like making my own pie crusts and they are much cheaper than store bought – especially the refrigerated kind! My son loves to help me make bagels at home.
There are so many things you can make from scratch cheaper than you can buy the “ready made” version. Try it sometime. It’s not so bad!
Another change I made was to change my cleaning agents. Instead of buying all kinds of expensive cleaners for several different jobs, I have narrowed it down to four cleaners: Murphy’s Oil Soap, citrus vinegar, bleach, and glass cleaner.
I went to the local dollar store and bought two spray bottles (they were with the garden stuff) for $1 each. In one, I placed white vinegar and lemon peels. The lemon peels give the vinegar a much better smell. Anytime I use lemons in the kitchen, I stick the peels in my vinegar. I use this to clean my counters and quick spills, etc. I also use it to quickly wipe down the bathrooms. In the other bottle, I diluted Murphy’s Oil Soap and water. I clean pretty much everything else with this. When I mop my wood floors, I just wet my mop and spray this mixture directly on the floor and mop it up. I simply rinse my removable mop head as needed in the sink and keep on trucking. For some reason, this works for me much better than mixing up a bucket of floor cleaner. Of course, really tough stuff and toilets get bleach. And the windows and mirrors get glass cleaner.
I also make my own laundry detergent. I’m not convinced that it really is much cheaper than buying detergent on sale with a coupon but I like that it makes my laundry soft and I don’t have to worry about dyes or perfumes breaking anyone out.
Let’s not forget the second part of this verse:
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Ugh. I struggle with this part.
See, she didn’t consider a field and buy it and think to herself “Whoa! I just saved a ton of money by shopping around and/or being frugal. I think I’ll go buy myself something nice with that money!” Nope. She planted a vineyard.
I would imagine that, by planting a vineyard, she did something that would bring more good to her household. Perhaps she was able to use the vineyard to generate more income for her family.
I believe this verse encourages us to put the money we save to good use. Don’t just run out and “blow it”. Like I said, I tend to think to myself “Woo-Hoo! I can buy something awesome now!” I need to be better about truly saving the money that I’m….well…saving.
Is there something that you do to help stretch your family’s dollar? If so, I’d love to hear about it. I’m always looking for more ways to live out this verse.
Proverbs 31:16, Part 1
If you’re new here and want to catch up on all my Proverbs 31 posts, please search Proverbs 31 in the box in the upper right hand corner 
I hope you’ve been getting something (anything!) out of my Proverbs 31 posts. God has just laid these verses on my heart and given me a burden to share them. I guess it’s all up to Him from there
Today, we’re going to look at Proverbs 31:16.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Now, as I’ve said before, I’m not going to be planting a vineyard anytime soon! But, this verse isn’t so much about buying a field or planting a vineyard. To me, it speaks more about making thoughtful purchases and being frugal.
With the economy in the state it’s in, I think just about everyone is looking to save money these days. What better way to save money than not to spend it? Right? Riiight???
16 She considers a field and buys it;
She considers a field. She thinks about her purchase before she goes through with it. Is it at a decent price? Does she really need it? How can this purchase benefit her or her family? Can she get a better deal on another field in another location? I don’t know what questions she asked herself, but the fact that she considers the field tells me that she thought long and hard before she bought it.
Image: Ambro / www.freedigitalphotos.net
Are you an impulse shopper? Oh man, I am! Especially if it’s on sale.
God is really working on me with this one.
I’ve been using coupons for about a year and a half now. I have my super-duper awesome binder that I won from Fab Steals & Deals. I’ve filled it to overflowing with coupons and I’ve cut my grocery bill way down.
I am a semi-lazy couponer, though. I like to clip my coupons and I love using them but I’m too lazy to do my own coupon match-ups. So, I rely on other bloggers and websites for that. Here are my faves:
Southern Savers is a great site if you live in the south. I recently moved from a city to a little bitty town and she’s one of the only sites I can find that does match-ups for Food City, which is basically my only grocery store chain aside from Wally World.
Coupon Mom is an awesome resource. You have to sign up using your email address* but I’ve never had a problem with that. She has coupon match-ups for tons of grocery chains, as well as Walmart and all the major drug store chains.
*I suggest you create a free email account at Yahoo or Google that you use for couponing. This way, your inbox isn’t overflowing with junk emails that you don’t want to read simply because you signed up for something free online.
Moms Need To Know is another great site for coupon match-ups and great deals. She is “up north” so I don’t have some of the same stores as she does (totally jealous!) but she does list match-ups for many of the stores in my area.
I also love to get lots of free stuff in the mail! I mean, hello?!?! Free stuff! Sometimes it may just be a sample but, a lot of times, it’s a full size product. Or maybe that sample comes with a really awesome coupon! You may not really care whether or not you have a tiny bottle of shampoo but you will want to $1.00 off coupon that might come with that tiny bottle of shampoo.
I find the best place to find out about all the freebies and samples is Facebook. Yep, Facebook. I follow all of the sites I have just listed above, plus several others. Here are a couple more that I follow on Facebook.
I love, love, love Coupon Pro. He keeps me “in the loop” about all the awesome freebies out there. Thanks to him, we get lots of free magazines each month and my hubby gets the Wall Street Journal every day for FREE! I have scored so many awesome deals and freebies, thanks to Roland’s Facebook page.
A few more I recommend following:
Now that I’ve given you lots of resources for coupons and freebies, I will tell you that I don’t coupon as much as I used to. For me, it’s more about frugal living. I will share more about that with you tomorrow.
Until then, go see what kinds of awesome deals these great folks can hook you up with today!
Proverbs 31:14-15
If you want to catch up on my Proverbs 31 posts, search “Proverbs 31″ in the search box to the right. That should bring up all my posts on this subject.
Today we’re going to be looking at Proverbs 31:14-15.
Let’s get started with verse 14, shall we?
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
As I said in verse 11, it is up to me to plan for, buy for, and prepare all of my family’s meals. I am fairly organized in “bringing food from afar”, although the grocery store around the corner isn’t exactly what I would call “afar”.
Since my husband gets paid twice a month, I make a menu each pay period for fifteen meals and make my grocery list from that. However, at some point during that fifteen day period, I will inevitably run out of milk or bread or pull-ups or….something. That’s just the way it is. It’s my job to bring more food (or pull-ups) from afar….or at least from Food City.
Does that mean that I never rely on my husband to pick up something on his way home? No.
But, as the person who runs the household, it is my job to recognize when we are running low or out of something and see to it that it gets replaced.
To me, this verse goes right along with verse 11. A husband should be able to place his full confidence in his wife to keep the fridge and pantry stocked!
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
Before I decided to share all that God has been telling me through Proverbs 31 with you, I wrote a post about kicking the cold cereal habit. God has been using Proverbs 31:15 to motivate me out of bed and into the kitchen in the mornings. I’m pleased to report that my children have survived and they have not missed their cold cereal one bit! Unfortunately, Hubby still wakes up before me (I just can’t seem to “do” 5:00 am yet) so he’s been eating a lot of oatmeal and Cream of Wheat. Even when I tell him to wake me up so I can fix his breakfast too, he doesn’t. He lets me sleep because he’s sweet like that. But you better believe he wakes me up on the weekends!
Since I’ve already told you how God is using this verse to motivate me, I thought I might share some of my favorite breakfast recipes with you. I’m always on the lookout for breakfast recipes now. Here are just a few of the ones we’ve been doing lately.
My whole family loves, loves, loves Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. I usually make this on Saturday so I have enough biscuits left over for sausage biscuits or bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits before church on Sunday.
My kids absolutely LOVE when they wake up to cinnamon rolls. However, I’m not willing to buy the refrigerated kind and it takes too long to make the yeast kind early in the morning. So, I’ve been making Quick Sweet Rolls. I think the kids prefer them this way anyway!
Muffins are really popular around here. I can mix up all the dry ingredients in a bowl and cover it until morning when I add the wet ingredients. I pop them in the oven and take a shower while they bake. Easy peasy.
A lot of my muffin recipes are quick bread recipes. I just put them in muffin pans instead of loaf pans and bake them approximately 18-20 minutes. Here are some of our faves:
Banana Nut Muffins (recipe coming soon!)
Oatmeal Muffins (recipe coming soon!)
We also like:
Like I said, these are just a few of the recipes I use. I’ll be sharing more recipes with you in the future. I have a ton of breakfast recipes saved on my computer, just waiting for us to try them!
I hope I have somehow inspired you to think more about the food you are serving your family. As always, it is my prayer that you will open your heart to God’s leading through these verses.
Proverbs 31:13
Here I am again, sharing how God is using Proverbs 31 to make me a better wife and mother. If you’ve missed my previous Proverbs 31 posts, go here to read why I feel led to share these verses with you and go here to read my take on Proverbs 31:10-12
Let’s get started, shall we?
Today I’m going to share with you from Proverbs 31:13.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
You may have just read that and thought to yourself “She selects wool and flax? What? How does this apply to me? I don’t select wool or flax!”
There was a time when women made everything their families needed. They didn’t have a choice. They grew and preserved their own food. They sewed clothes and home furnishings. They made their own soap. Not to be “hip” or “green” or “frugal”. They did it because, otherwise, they wouldn’t have the things they needed. That’s just not the case these days. When we need curtains or a new rug or a new dress to wear to church, we just go to the store or search the world wide web!
Some women choose to make their children’s clothing. Many women, myself included, make their own laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. Lots of women make a lot of the things their families need but the vast majority of us just make a quick run to Wally World or Target. And that’s okay. Not everyone has the desire or the need to make their own stuff.
So, perhaps you aren’t choosing wool and flax (or Fels Naptha and washing soda) on a daily basis but you can still work with eager hands!
I use my NIV Bible most often but I like to go back and read the same verses in other versions. The King James version of verse 13 says “…she works with her hands with delight.” I like that. I delight in working with my hands but most of the time it is for someone else. I love to crochet baby gifts and decorate cakes. I put a lot of time and effort into those kinds of things but it usually doesn’t directly benefit my family. Honestly, it’s mostly for my own enjoyment. God has been telling me lately that I need to put more effort into the things that benefit my family. It’s pretty sad when I’m making a cake and one of my kids asks me who I’m taking it to. It takes a lot to convince them now that I’m just making it for us to enjoy.
Is there something you can make or do to benefit your family? Maybe it’s crocheting dishcloths or sewing a dress for your little one. Maybe it’s cooking a nice dinner each day or baking homemade bread for your family’s enjoyment. Whatever you can do with your hand for your family or home, do it with eager hands!
I encourage you to pray and ask God to show you the things you can be doing for your family with eager hands.
Until next time,
Proverbs 31:10-12
If you haven’t read why I feel led to share these verses with you, please go here to read my post about how God is using Proverbs 31 in my life.
Proverbs 31:10-12 says:
10A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
Let’s get started with verse 10.
10A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
What does it mean to be a wife “of noble character?” What does it mean to be noble? I’ll give you the exact definition:
noble |ˈnōbəl|adjective ( -bler , -blest )1 belonging to a hereditary class with high social or political status; aristocratic : the Duchess of Kent and other noble ladies.2 having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals : the promotion of human rights was a noble aspiration.• of imposing or magnificent size or appearance : entering the building with its noble arches and massive granite columns.• of excellent or superior quality.
“Having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.”
God desires for us to have high moral principles and ideals. He desires for us to show fine personal qualities. Proverbs 31:11-31 shows us the qualities God desires from us a women.
Does it mean that we should all fit a “cookie cutter” mold? No. What God desires from you or what your family needs from you may be different than what God or my family desire from me. Make sense?
Personally, I used to feel like becoming the “Proverbs 31 Woman” was impossible. But, God has been working in my heart and He is showing me that, not only is it possible to be a woman of noble character, but it is in the best interest of myself and my family.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
Often times, the wife runs the household. For the most part, that is the case at my house. As a stay-at-home mom who homeschool(ed) her children, it is my job to plan for, buy for, and cook the meals; keep up with the seemingly endless pile of laundry, making sure baseball uniforms are clean on game day and everybody has clean socks and underwear; keep our home clean and orderly so as to control the dust bunny population (those things breed like crazy, you know?!?); see to it that my children are getting a good education – no matter where they are attending school (home or public); check the mail and organize the bills to make sure they all get paid on time; make sure the children arrive at all of the activities; the list goes on…
BUT, I am learning to appreciate these tasks more.
My husband goes to work each day, currently driving over an hour each way, so that I can stay home with our children. He trusts me and relies on me to do the job of running our household. A husband should be able to place his full confidence in his wife to take care of their household.
I want that. I want Hubby to be able to place his FULL confidence in me to run our household. To make sure that we don’t run out of milk or pull-ups (at bedtime…again). To make sure that the bills are paid on time. To make sure he has clean clothes to wear to work and the boys have clean uniforms when they need them.
He’s busy enough with work as it is. He shouldn’t have to go behind me to make sure I’ve done what needs to be done.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
Although I am sure there are some out there, I’ve never met a wife who sets out to do harm to her husband. But, if you don’t set out to bring him good, what will you bring him?
If he isn’t able to place his full confidence in you (as in verse 11), doesn’t that bring him harm?
Is everything you do for him good?
A wife should set out to bring good to her husband ALL the days of her life – not just on days she feels like it or day she isn’t tired or stressed or PMS-ing or days when he hasn’t made her mad or hurt her feelings. No, ALL the days. I’m trying
Again, I pray that you will read over these verses again and again and allow God to speak to your heart. I’ll be back with more tomorrow!
Proverbs 31 and Me
I try to be a good wife and mother, really I do.
The problem is, I try to be everything to everyone. I spread myself too thin. I forget things. I overlook things…like the huge pile of laundry running out of the hamper. I get distracted doing so many different things that nothing really ever gets done. Or at least that’s the way it seems to me most of the time.
When I have days like that, I get so down on myself. I place so much of my value in my home. If my house is a mess, I feel like I’ve failed miserably at the end of the day. I beat myself up. I cry. I tell myself how worthless I am.
I’m just keepin’ it real here.
A couple of months ago, I committed a major NO-NO. I forgot to pay a bill. Not just any bill – Hubby’s credit card bill. The one with a lifetime ridiculously low rate – as long as you pay your bill on time! We always pay the bills together. I forgot to give him the credit card bill. I just overlooked it. I had just rewritten the budget and I somehow left it off.
Hubby was so upset with me. I was even more upset with me than he was!
I felt worthless. I felt like a failure. I felt like a horrible wife. How had I let something like this happen?
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I sat in the “school room” with my Bible and I cried and I prayed. I asked God to speak to me. I asked Him to show me how to be the wife that Hubby needs and the mother that my children need. More importantly, I asked Him to show me how to be the wife and mother He intends for me to be.
He led me to Proverbs 31.
Through Proverbs 31, He is showing me how to be a better wife and mother. I used to think the whole “Proverbs 31 Woman” thing was unattainable. I brushed it off as something that could not really be applied to my life in today’s time.
“She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” Proverbs 31:16
Yeah, not me. I don’t see me buying a field or planting a vineyard any time soon. Ya know?
But, God has been speaking to me through these verses and He’s showing me how I really can apply them to my life every day. I want to share that with you. Maybe it will encourage you somehow.
Now, let me say this: I am not a Biblical scholar. I am simply going to tell you how I feel about these verses and how I feel that God is leading me to live them out in my everyday life. Take it or leave it. I’m not telling you how to live or what you should do to be a good wife or mother. This is really just me and my opinion.
I’m going to break this down into several posts. Otherwise, it will end up being ridiculously long.
Let’s start with Proverbs 31:10-31
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Please take a moment to really read these verses. Pray over them. Ask God to show you how you may apply them to your life.
I’ll be back tomorrow to start breaking down the verses and telling you how I am applying them to my life.
My kids are *so* gonna kill me for this
I have decided that we are going to give up cold cereal. My children may die. For real.
Cereal is expensive, folks. I use coupons and I can usually get it for $1 or less a box. But, my kids can go through a box of cereal in a day or two. If it’s a sweet cereal, the boys will eat 3 bowls! It doesn’t do me a lot of good to buy 13 boxes of cereal on the cheap if they are going through it all in a week. The point of buying that much cereal is so it will last for a long time, gah!
Also, there’s so much sugar in cereal. Even cereal that’s supposed to be good for you usually isn’t all that good for you. There are some really good cereals out there, but they aren’t within my budget. The cereal within my budget usually has an ingredient list a mile long, full of words that I can’t spell….or pronounce.
God has really been working on me through Proverbs 31 (more on that soon!). Proverbs 31:15 says, “She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.” Now, I don’t have any servants but I do have a family to provide food for. Don’t they deserve to start their day with a hot meal?
I’m determined to do this!
I’ve decided that the best thing for me to do is to commit to a breakfast menu the night before. This way, I can measure out all of my dry ingredients and place them in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. I can also make sure I have all of my ingredients so I’m not left scrambling in the morning. The next morning, all I have to do is add the wet ingredients and I’ll have some yummy muffins or quick bread! Sounds easy enough. And, a bag of flour will go much further than a box of cereal, for a lot cheaper.
I tried it out last night. I decided that we would have scratch-made biscuits and gravy for breakfast this morning. It’s been ages since I’ve baked biscuits that weren’t previously frozen or in a can and made gravy that didn’t come as a powder in an envelope. I measured all of my dry ingredients for biscuits into a mixing bowl and covered it with plastic wrap. All I had to do was cut in the butter and add the milk and roll ‘em and cut ‘em. Easy peasy!
This morning, I was sleeping *so well* when the rednecks across the street fired up their Harley and proceeded to rev the engine….at 7:15 a.m.!!!! Grrr! I seriously thought about rolling over and going back to sleep but Proverbs 31:15 came to mind. Granted, it wasn’t still night but everyone but me was still asleep. So, I got out of bed and made my family a delicious breakfast. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and I felt really good about myself.
So…as soon as the last two boxes of Rice Krispies are gone, I won’t be buying any more cereal. Say a prayer for my kids. Seriously, though, I think we will all be better for it in the long run.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
A Brother’s Love
Bean found a dress in her closet and asked to put it on. It was last year’s Easter dress. She decided she looked like a princess. I have to agree.
Every princess needs a prince. Enter the Big Al.
How many 12 year old boys do you know who will play the part of “prince” for their 3 year old sister?
They danced and twirled and had the best time. It was so sweet! He loves his little sister and she loves him right back.
I hope he will always be her Prince.
My Passion, Part II
If you missed Part I, go read it here so you can know a bit more of my background and why I have this passion.
I have a heart for pregnancy centers and their ministry. I felt that a whole post about pregnancy centers would be better than just trying to cram everything into my last post.
If my family had not been willing and/or able to help me when I became pregnant with Big Al, I don’t know what I would have done. To my knowledge, there was not a center where I could go for help other than the Health Department and the services offered there through WIC and Medicaid.
I did not take advantage of Medicaid. I had good health insurance and I just didn’t feel right using it. I paid payments on my hospital bills for a couple of years. I used to joke that Big Al wasn’t paid for yet and they may repossess him if I didn’t pay my monthly payment.
I did, however, take full advantage of the WIC program. As a matter of fact, I would not have been able to buy Big Al’s baby formula without the WIC program. I did not abuse the program, though, and as soon as he didn’t drink formula anymore, I exited the program. I could afford to buy regular food but not formula. Only once did I have someone berate me in the check-out lane at the grocery store as I used my WIC vouchers. It was an awful experience but I knew that I was doing the best I could and, at that point, I had to rely on the WIC program for help.
Unfortunately, most women have emotional, spiritual, and material needs that cannot be met by a visit to the Health Department. That’s where the pregnancy centers come in.
**Just so you know, I will be referring to the pregnancy center that my mother-in-law directs and my experience with that center and others like it.
Women who come to the Center are greeted warmly. The people at the Center are there to love, nurture, and support the women they serve. They are not there to pass judgement. They are not there to scorn or to scold. They are there to show these women that there is someone who loves them regardless of what they have done.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:34-35
Here is an idea of what goes on at the Center:
A woman may come in, thinking she is pregnant. Maybe she has taken a home test and it is positive. Maybe she has seen a doctor and gotten a positive result. Unless the latter is true, the Center will provide a pregnancy test for her. If she tests negative, she will be counseled on pregnancy prevention, danger of STDs, etc. If she tests positive, she will become a client of the Center.
As a client of the Center, she will be able to learn how to properly care for herself and her baby. The Center offers many classes for the women they serve and their families. The classes may be anything from eating properly during pregnancy to childbirth preparation to feeding & caring for a newborn to infant CPR. As the women attend these classes, they will earn “Baby Bucks”, which can be used to purchase items for themselves or their babies.
The Center is stocked with maternity clothes for expectant mothers, baby clothes, diapers, formula, pacifiers, bedding, layette items, bottles…..the list goes on. Pretty much all of these items are donated to the Center by area churches and members of the community. Personally, I have passed along almost all of Bean’s baby items to the Center. These women do not care if the items are brand-new (or brand-name, for that matter), they are desperate for these items! Center employees and volunteers make sure the items donated are clean and safe.
Many of the women and men who come into the Center are hurting. Yes, I said men. Not all women who come to the Center are single. Sometimes the father accompanies them to the Center. The men need the Center as much as the women do. Their life is changing forever as well. The Center offers counseling to both women and men.
This particular Center is a Christian organization. They offer weekly Bible studies for the women to attend. The Center tries to make sure she at least hears the Gospel of Jesus Christ and knows that she has a Savior who loves her. It is our prayer that one day she will give her life to Christ, if she hasn’t already.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” -Romans 10:17
Many of the women who visit the Center have not completed high school. The Center offers GED classes to their clients. When a woman receives her GED, she is given a check for a couple hundred dollars as a graduation gift from the Center. Most of the time, these funds are donated by someone specifically for this purpose. You would not believe the difference this small check may make in the lives of these women!
As you can see, the Center is so much more than a place for “hand-outs”. It is a place where women and their families are received in love and given a chance to learn how to be the kind of parent their child needs. It is a place where the love of Christ is shown every day in a variety of ways.
Because it is a Christian organization, the Center operates solely on donations. They receive no government funding. They have a few fundraisers throughout the year. The Baby Bottle campaign collects change in baby bottles from area businesses and churches. They also hold Diaper Drives at various churches to replenish the diaper supplies. There are times when they just have to run on faith, because donations are low and funds are becoming depleted but God always provides.
I hope you will consider donating to your local pregnancy center. If you can’t give of your money or baby items, consider giving your time.
Maybe you are like me and there isn’t a center in your area. Would you prayerfully consider opening one? I am. Hopefully I’ll have more information on this soon.
Serving Him by serving others,
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