It was Saturday morning and Jewel had the day to herself. Her friend, Susan, and fellow mother, was taking the kids for the day. As Jewel stepped out the door, she thought, “I love our Saturday trades.” One Saturday out of the month they take each others kids. It gives the other mother a day to herself to do whatever she wants. And today Jewel wanted to go shopping and meet her husband for a lunch date the way they did when they where dating and maybe catch a matinee. It was Saturday and she had the day. But first things first: It’s time to find a deal.
She headed straight to her favorite neighborhood. She drove by it often with the kids and had at least two places that she wanted to check out. Today was an open house just for her and she was ready to see what it looked like on the inside. She wished Jonathan was with her but he needed some down time, so she didn’t bother him. Besides he trusts her to “narrow the field.” That’s how they do what they do, together. She was excited to get to her sale, but as she met the selling agent at the door, Jewel put on her poker face and went in to the old run down house in the middle of a beautiful neighborhood and began to make mental notes to share with her husband. They where in the market for their first rental properties and she was on the hunt. The cash-flow from this house was going into a fund for their daughters’ college education, so choosing the right house in the right neighborhood (rentable) for the right price mattered. Armed with all her research she was ready to go shopping . . .
Loving God is the beginning of a beautiful life. But that’s not all there is too it. We actually have to live on this side of heaven and we can do that living any way that we want. We can live it with the best of things, the worst of things, and/or any where in between. It is our choice and we choose by the skills we are willing to learn and the actions we are willing to take.
I am sure that you noticed in She’s a PRO 31:15, that the virtuous woman had a staff of people to help her run her house. She probably had maids, a cook, a gardner and so on. In our modern world the help we need depends on the size and the outcome of our dreams. If your desire is a cottage for two and a powerful internet connection to build your online business, then your team may only consist of techies (that you never meet because you communicate online) to do the functions that you don’t know how to do. Maybe they will build your website or make sure that it is properly advertised in order to let people know you are here or design your company’s logo, etc. Regardless of the task that you choose to receive help on, they are a part of your team that need your direction in order to help you run your online house, excuse me, I mean business. Do you get the picture?
In other words, you don’t need maids and a gardner and housekeepers for the cottage. It’s small enough and cute enough and you love it, so you’ve got that on lock. But you do need help to develop your business. So that’s the team that you assemble and guide like the PRO 31:15.
“But how in the world can the virtuous woman or anyone else for that matter afford to have help, when I have to do everything on my own?” You ask. Well, it’s shaped by our thoughts. Are you the kind of person who plans her day solely around what she can get done in a day? I used to be that person, as the average woman is, but it’s limiting (and who ever said we where trying to be average?). When we learn to think in terms of team and support, we can conquer the world or at least industry. For certain, we can get a handle on our homes and family. But it takes a different way of thinking and planning.
The PRO ‘expands prudently’ without neglecting her most basic responsibilities. But she does expand. She reaches out for more exciting experiences, more exciting business ventures, more exciting journeys with the people she loves the most. We can have our best dreams with Wisdom, faith and planning. Consider Jewel in the story above who was going shopping for real estate Saturday morning. She was definitely thinking outside the box. Plus it’s Biblical, the woman of excellence ‘considers a new field before she buys and accepts it.’ Jewel spent her Saturday morning considering a field, and that’s what I call savvy. What fields have you considered lately? It could be real estate and/or a business idea. Maybe you have an idea inside of you. There are lots of ways to live the dream and it doesn’t always require hard labor from you. I’m just saying, it’s ok to just think about it at least and let your mind expand (a little).
Hmmm, interesting.
EXERCISE. You already have your exercise for today: consider a field in any area of life that interest you. If you really get to thinking that you can do this, then order a book (audio or print) on the subject and read it. You never know where you may end up. But I will tell you this, planning your future with faith and a strategy is far more exciting than just wandering through the rest of your life.
Remember, a woman of excellence lives it. When your man meets you, you should already be a women of excellence and not waiting for marriage in order to become one. Life is now, so get to living well. And ladies, let’s get ready for strength . . .
-MizJAI-
She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. Proverbs 31:16 AMP
