Prov. 31:21

"She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet." Prov. 31:21.

We are picking up where we left off with our Proverbs 31 study. If you missed any of the previous studies, click here http://360.yahoo.com/godlyrose , click on the view blog link, and then click on the Proverbs tag on the left hand side. Be advised, these are the reflections and lessons that I feel God showing me for myself. I am not an "expert", but you are welcome to join me in my learning and growing through God's Word.

How prepared are we as woman, home keepers, wives, mothers, or guardians in case of any emergencies? Here in Florida, we are encouraged to keep well stocked with water and canned goods during hurricane season (which begins in June and ends in November). Stores send out flyers with emergency items on sale and remind us to be prepared. We always make sure that we are well stocked. When an item from the pantry is used, we take care to replace it as soon as possible. How sad, though, that many times people do not heed the warnings and just continue on their merry way. The Proverbs 31 woman always made sure that she was prepared for the winter snows that would come. In Bible times, she could not just run out to a local supermarket or department store for the things she forgot to store up when times were good. She had to be prepared. She was not the only one who would suffer, her family would also. If you have some time later on, also read Matthew 25:1- 13. This is the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were not prepared and missed out on an awesome privilege.

Not only was she prepared for tough times, but her family had the best that she could give them. Not that she spent much financially to get these things (this goes back to our lesson from verse 14), but she might have picked up things that were on sale and stored them away for a later time.

I know that this may not sound like it goes with this particular passage of scripture, but most people go Christmas shopping towards the end of November/the beginning of December. They end up spending large amounts of money in one shot, pay higher prices (unless they wake up before the crack of dawn on Black Friday), and then have to work to pay off that Christmas before the next one comes along (sounds so stressful!). My mother taught me back when I was a little girl, to do my Christmas shopping throughout the year. Yes, I begin Christmas shopping around mid January. Every time I go shopping, I keep my eyes peeled for sales and items that I know will be appreciated by those receiving them, but are at prices that fit our budget. My mother and father always gave us a huge Christmas because of the way that Mom shopped. Believe it or not, later on today, I will be wrapping up some of the Christmas presents I have already purchased and put them away for December (it also produces less stress on the body and mind as well...always a good thing:).

I have also mentioned in our verse 14 lesson, that we buy many items for Addie when they are on clearance, but not for immediate use. We buy her clothes and other items that she will eventually grow into ahead of time instead of having to buy them as the need arises. That way it save us some money in the long run. Lord permitting, she will be wearing a dress for our 4th of July church service that I purchased last year after July 4th. It was $4.97 and absolutely beautiful. I'll show pictures when she has worn it (mental note to myself:).

I would encourage you to make some time today to take a quick inventory of what you have in stock for your household and make an effort to keep yourself prepared. It is a great feeling to know that "you are not afraid of the snow for your household, for all your household is clothed with scarlet."