Proverbs 31 Lesson 12

Role Models of America  

The Pro31 Woman

                                 Lesson 12

                                        

²⁷She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

 

This is such a clear verse to understand.  All women know what it means to have the responsibility of the home, as it’s usually under her care and attention.  She is the one who manages the kids schedules and the home interests.  A woman who is a Proverbs 31 woman pays attention to the various details of her house and those living inside.  Fortunately in today’s world, life as a homemaker is much easier than ever before in any generation.  Many inventions have been created to make her jobs quicker and easier.  To ‘look well’  means to pay attention to.  The woman who stays on top of her household duties will find practical systems to make life run smoother for her home. 

 

Using a schedule helps to keep the little chores from becoming big ones.  There are 7 days in a week and leaving the Sabbath day aside for rest and spiritual renewal, the other 6 can be divided up into sections for certain workloads to be done daily.  The laundry needs of a family of four, left for just one day a week to be done, will find that it’s too much to be done along with a busy schedule.  But broken up into several days of washing, certainly makes it easier to stay in control of.  Using a organized way to approach household duties is the only way for her to manage well the ‘ways of her household’.   

 

A house can be broken up into sections to watch over, or in other words taken care of.  Bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms along with kitchens and dining rooms, all can be cared for on different days by doing each of them on the same day weekly.  For example;  here is a schedule that is an idea to start thinking of a personal structure to go by. And once the routine is begun it becomes easy to follow.

 

Mondays: laundry done and put away, dry cleaners trip, create the family’s   schedule for school, church, work plans and special events.  

Tuesdays:  bedrooms cleaned and bed sheets changed in every bedroom

Wednesdays: bathrooms cleaned and all trash emptied

Thursdays: living room and dining room cleaned

Fridays: kitchen cleaned, weekly menu's made and laundry day

Saturdays: grocery shopping and errands done

Sundays:  Church and rest

 

There are other women who use a filing system of note cards and each item to be done is listed on a separate card.  Then every day consecutive cards (the next one) in the box is removed and done.  And other organized women use lists and weekly schedules of their family to work around home, school and work. So there are several different ways to become organized in homecare, it just depends on the size of her family, her own schedule and what works best for her.  

 

The wise woman will encourage her children to help her with housework as soon as they are able to understand simple chores to be done.  This not only helps her contain all details in the home, but it also teaches the child responsibility and personal  accountability at home. 

           

Making sure to cover all the details of running a home requires being organized and using all time saving methods.  Women who have busy lives of running both home and work jobs outside the home can stay efficient and at peace with their families when good systems are in place. 

 

Time Saving benefits in the home: Carefully go through your home and look for easier and better ways to stay on top of duties efficiently.

 

The Kitchen Tips:

·        Food preparations.  It takes the same amount of time to cook 2 main dishes as it does to make one. Serve one main dish for dinner and freeze the other one for a fast dinner when time is short.  And oh what a treat it is for a woman to simply pop something in the oven that she has already made and spend time relaxing while the homemade dinner is baking.

·        Grocery lists:  write out a weekly menu, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Also include pre-planned snacks on the menu.  This not only saves time and energy trying to find something to cook for dinner, but it saves money when grocery shopping.

·        Organize kitchen tools close to work stations they are used beside. Rummaging and looking for a favorite tool or trying to find something quickly that has been misplaced sounds simple and too easy to be useful knowledge.  But storing items by where they are used saves steps and time and it’s always right where you need it.

 

 

 

Bedroom Tips:

·        Keep 2 sets of sheets, change the bedding once weekly. There will always be a clean set of sheets when you need them.

·        Keeping the room streamlined and decluttered makes for a restful bedroom.

·        Don’t let your bedroom become the office.  Papers and files have a way of taking over any space they move into.  Rather set up a corner office in another room keeping the bedroom serene and comfortable without the busy focal point of work projects.

 

Living Room Tips

 

·        Use big baskets with lids for decorating with.  They are instant organizers of toys, magazines, throw blankets and will easily hold a variety of items that are accessible when wanted and out of the way when not.

·        Store media inside cabinets with doors.  The doors can be opened when watching television and everything is accessible, yet when they are closed there is no clutter seen.

·        Look for decorating ideas that impact by using less items. For instance one beautiful large bowl is a better decoration and requires less maintenance than a half a dozen figurines that need lots of attention to keep them sparkling clean.

 

Bathroom Tips

·        Create automatic systems of self cleaning to help keep things orderly. Such as easy access clothes hampers for soiled clothing to be put in rather than the floor.

·        Shower containers attached to the wall, these hold  soaps, shampoos ect and are great for simple solutions.  They hold entire bottles full without any of the clutter  of bottles.

·        Keep counters clean and clear by using big decorative boxes or baskets to hide all the bottles that accumulate on the sink.  Remove the lid and everything is at hand, replace the lid and everything is orderly and in place.

 

Laundry Tips

·        Keep a small shelf of spot removal products right next to the washer,  hung on the wall. It will be easy to see and remember the spot check all stains before a garment gets washed.

·        Keep extra supplies in a storage closet not in your laundry area.  The laundry area needs to be clean, bright and empty of clutter.  It encourages a woman to take time with the laundry when there is adequate space to work well in. Be sure to empty the washing area of all items after each washing session. An empty and clean area to start laundry in helps to focus and encourages completion in the next load of laundry. No more dryers still full of clothing!

·        Hang shelves above the washer and dryer area. Keep only pertinent washing products there along with a small basket for extra socks and mesh bags for delicates to be washed in.

 

“…… She eateth not the bread of idleness”.

 

The bread of idleness can be describes as disorganized, slothful, lazy or indolent.  The woman who does not take care of her home will soon find that she is unable to take care of her family well.  This portion of this verse is dealing with the woman who does not put her heart into taking care of her family. 

 

A Proverbs woman will learn to assess her needs and those of her family, and then learn all she can about making her home work smoothly for her family. This does not mean that she is unable to rest herself because of the constant needs of her family.  But rather that she balances herself and her home work to have the energy required to take care of everything well.  One extreme would be no rest is encouraged here, and the other end would be that the home is  ignored and disorganized chaos rules because the woman pays no attention to the care and upkeep of her home and family.  The bread of idleness would be a continual lifestyle of selfish focus instead of her family.

 

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.  Aristotle

 

Work well done always brings a feeling of accomplishment with it. And  the accomplishment encourages the heart to do more!  Proverbs woman….. put your heart into what you do as unto the Lord, and the Lord who sees all of your labor will reward you and cause the promises of these scriptures to come to pass in your life.

 

Written by Gayla Holley

All Rights Reserved 2007

 

 

 

Comments

[Javis Lounsbury]

Part of the job of home keeping is organization. It doesn't even have to be forced on anyone - an organized space makes for an organized life. Plus, you won't have to waste a lot of time in trying to find out where you placed your stuff!