Proverbs 31 for the Single Woman (Guest Post)

Today I am so happy and honored to introduce to you fine people 

a remarkable young woman named Misti. 

She has been in our famous little Oklahoma Dinner Club With a Reading Problem 

for about a year, but I only learned this week that she also writes a blog.(http://scribblesandmusings.wordpress.com/) 

I became quickly enamored with her forthright and tender approach to Bible themes 

and asked her to contribute her thoughts to my study on Proverbs 31, 

which she graciously agreed to do. Thanks Misti!!

I think you'll really enjoy what she has written, especially if you too are a single gal. 

Please say hello and share your thoughts!

Proverbs 31 for the Single Woman


   For the longest time, I’ve thought that Proverbs 31 was something to attain to, but not entirely applicable to me. After all, I’m not married. I don’t have children. The closest thing I have to a dependent is a shaggy mutt of a dog who lives in my back yard most of the year. Other than a bit of attention, some food, water, and shelter in from the weather, he’s pretty content and low maintenance.

   I’ve been asked once or twice before to share my thoughts on Proverbs 31, and I have to admit, I felt pretty inadequate. I don’t have a family to provide for. I don’t have a husband to sit in the gate and be known for his wisdom. I don’t have children to rise up and call me blessed.

   But tonight, I thought about the story of Tabitha, or Dorcas, in the book of Acts. She was a woman who took what she had and made use of it to help others. So much so that when she passed, the people begged that Peter would pray that God would raise her from the dead because of their need of her.

   It blended with something else I’ve been thinking of lately – the impact of the single, childless woman in society. From the perspective of someone who does genealogy for a hobby, the single, childless women in the families tend to be forgotten. It would seem that they've left no legacy. But then, I have thought about the ones I have known about.

   There is the blind aunt of my great-great grandmother who lived next door to her family and helped with the family duties and the children. Her story was passed down through the family, and she is not forgotten.

   And the ones who have touched my life:

   Sis. Hattie Montgomery was an elderly lady in the church when my dad was a child. She married, but never had children of her own. All the children who went through her Sunday School, or who knew her as Aunt Hattie, or who grew up seeing her faithfulness in the church and heard stories about how she helped build the church building, or the stories of her near mishaps while continuing to drive into her 90s, has forgotten her. She left a legacy.

   Sis. Jewel was the quiet lady at church who filled in as Sunday School teacher, or who prayed. She was my brother-in-law’s great aunt. And she was the one who told me I should be singing in the choir and encouraged me to do that. She never married or had children, but she isn't forgotten. I’ve heard about how she was such a help to Sis. Hattie in her later years, and always there to help out those who were in need.

   My own aunt, Jennie, has been a blessing to the many children she has led in the singing part of children’s meeting at church. She’s a woman of so many talents, and indispensable at the job she has done. She’s touched many lives in her work at the junior high for several decades. Her nieces and nephews, and their children will never forget her.

   These women didn't have children of their own, but they have touched many lives. I see the traits of the Proverbs 31 woman in these ladies. They have been resourceful, talented, busy looking out for the ones in their circle of influence, and a great blessing to the family, the church and the community. I appreciate their good example, and the legacy they leave to us.

Again, Misti, thank you so much for sharing these beautiful thoughts 

and memories of some very special women in your life! 

I appreciate that you have illuminated the loving traits of a Proverbs 31 woman, 

traits that any woman can adapt to her own circumstances. 

Support, encouragement, care taking, tending, availability... Just love.

Love Your People. Whoever They Are
xoxoxoxo

Proverbs 31: Guest Post by Amber, Happiest Color of Crazy

   This morning I would like to introduce you to another lovely and generous guest poster, Amber. She is a stay-at-home Mommy to three beautiful and precocious little girls,and in a thousand ways she radiates the spirit of a young, traditional Proverbs 31 woman.

   I asked her to contribute because while so many women spend precious energy complaining about the drudgery of  domestic life, she celebrates every detail and magnifies God in fun, believable ways. I can feel her joy through her Facebook posts and original poetry, which is what she chose to share with us today...

   Enjoy...

The Happiest Color of Crazy

When I was young I had big dreams
romantic visions of all life could be.
I wanted to fall in love, be swept off my feet
have a beautiful home and a loving family.

God sees the desires of my heart
hearing the prayers my fears won't let me speak.
He knows just how to fill my lack
becoming my strong knowing my weak.

My picture of happy has changed over time.
Things aren't always what they might seem.
I do have love, a home and three kids
but life is all but serene....

We find ourselves always behind
trying to do all that's needing done.
The kids are loud making a mess
keeping us on the run...

The bills keep coming but sleep rarely does
Life's demands pile up like the dishes.
No time for dates, or leisurely mornings.
An endless list of empty wishes...

That's when I can tell my heart has turned
and I must humbly repent.
Losing my joy by forgetting my thanks
is the surest road to discontent.

I must forget about what I want
and seek Him first in ALL things.
Looking around for His gifts of grace
in the simplest moments that each day brings.

My days are painted the happiest color of crazy.
My God supplies my every need.
I have everything I never knew I wanted
and my heart is full indeed!

    I especially love this line toward the end, "Losing my joy by forgetting my thanks is the surest road to discontent."

   Thank you, Amber! Thanks for this poetry, and thanks for sharing on Facebook the delicious minutiae of daily life with your young family. You make me homesick for those days and grateful for my memories more than you can imagine. When people tell you it goes by quickly, they are speaking the truth. Soak up this happy color of crazy. May all of your dreams come true, if even in wildly unexpected ways!

"My heart is full indeed."

xoxoxoxo

Storms, Tap Roots, and Looking Up

Check it out you guys! Later today I am guest posting 
over at sweet Edie's community blog, lifeingracegirls

So fun! I have admired Edie's personal blog for a few years now 
and have gleaned from her tons of inspiration and enouragement, 
from books to faith to redecorranging.
Please join the fun over there and meet some of the other ladies too!

********************

 I was zoned out running in the back field Wednesday morning, listening to either Eminem or Godsmack or something else equally endorphonish, when something caught my eye. It startled me actually, although I have seen it a thousand times before. It was this tree and its giant root system, exposed to the sky...

This photo was taken immediately after the tornado.
You can see that the pine needles still face the tree's original "up."
Today they point towards the sky.

   A little over two years ago, a large and very strong tornado barreled up the western slope of our farm, thrashing the trees and ground but (fortunately) just grazing our house. Despite seeing the rain-wrapped beast with my own eyes through the kitchen window, it happened so quickly that we barely understood what it was until the next morning. Because, seriously, around here the wind comes sweeping down the plain a lot! Like, a 40 mph gust could be called breezy.

   Handsome and I walked around our property and discovered tree after tree either snapped off at the ground or skinned naked of bark. Fences were tangled. All kinds of debris (both our and our neighbors') were scattered everywhere. We found just exactly what Oklahomans expect to find after a tornado, only thankfully this time our house and our animals were more or less in tact. So thankful.

So much of the nearby forests was stripped down to stubble.

This poor family lost their entire roof, and many others lost much more.
We were so blessed to take a hit and only replace shingles.

   Okay, so that is why that tree looks this way. I am quirky, but I would never plant a tree in this position on purpose. I swear it was a tornado, you guys.

   What is fascinating to me is that after two years of being toppled and having its almost feathery and so crucial root system exposed to our extreme conditions (sub zero winters, triple digit summers, record breaking drought), this pine tree is alive. More than alive, really, it seems to be thriving, albeit in a slightly different posture than before.

   It is not thriving just because it has a good attitude, though I do personally believe that plants can pose themselves positively or negatively in this world. Why are goat-head stickers so hostile?!? Neither is it thriving because anyone drags the water hose and a bucket of manure out there every other day and keeps its nest of roots moist and fed. DUH. I do not have that much free time!

   This tree is thriving because its tap root runs deep and sure. It reaches far beyond the parched dust of the sandy back field. It runs several meters past where the cruelest winds might whip it silly.This tree is in touch with something deep and sustaining enough for it to grow under the most unlikely circumstances.

   Also, in addition to becoming strikingly beautiful in a brand new way, I see that now this pine tree's exposed roots have become a shelter for small animals. The vacancy created by what was lost has become a home and solace for something else. If that's not beautiful, you guys, I don't know what is.

   What about us? How well established are our roots, and how vicious a storm can we withstand and still thrive, still grow? Even if some of the peripheral attachments we make in life are torn out and exposed to deadly elements, are we securely tapped into something more permanent? Can we enjoy many more seasons of new growth and beauty? Where do we face, towards the past or upwards?

   Personally, I can point to each trauma in my life so far and recall whether at that time I felt peace or fear. I can also remember how I fared in the wake of each storm, whether I crumpled into myself, risking dehydration and decomposition...or whether I was deeply fed enough to just turn my face upward and change direction.

   My connection to that deep Source of Life has been tested lately. So I am unreasonably happy to have noticed that tree today. I am so grateful to see its unusual beauty, its new bright green pine needles, the yoga pose it does all day as the sun moves over the back field. I am reminded that life's features and posture change, sometimes permanently, but it all remains beautiful.

   Stay connected, friends, to the best stuff. Find Love and Truth and never let go. If (when) a storm topples you but you are still alive and connected to that fountain of Life that never runs dry, then you have hope for life, beauty, and joy. You might even be used for a purpose you never imagined.

"Surviving is Important;
Thriving is Elegant."
~Maya Angelou
xoxoxoxo