Is My Price Above Rubies?

Proverbs 31:10-30 
 10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
 13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
 14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
 15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
 17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
 18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
 19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
 20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
 21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
 22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
 24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
 25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

I was going through some old sermon notes in my Bible cover and I found the sheet from Pastor Scotts message on Mothers day a year or two ago about the Virtuous Woman. I was sifting through a lot of notes so I only skimmed it, but a paragraph caught my eye that said that passage of Proverbs 31 (shown above) is one that every young woman should have memorized. I thought about it and... I didn't! I had some time between answering phone calls at work, so I decided to give it a go. (I've been trying to get back into memorizing since I graduated and wasn't a Bible quizzer anymore.) I was amazed at how natural it felt! I'm still working on getting all the verses word perfect, but I got a pretty good grasp on them as I worked. The way I memorize is to write everything down, read it, read the same verse in the Bible to make sure I got it down right, and then close my eyes and quote it in my head. Rinse and repeat. So when I was done, I had a handwritten copy of Proverbs 31:10-30. I was amazed at some of the things that jumped out at me, so I highlighted them on my paper. (Same as above.) These aren't by any means the only good parts of this passage, but they really stuck out to me! I recognized some traits in this 'Virtuous Woman' that I really want to see in my life. I know that if I want to be a certain way in the future, I have to start working now, so I decided to make a list of some character traits from this passage that I wanted to achieve by the Lords grace. Here is the list I came up with and that I am going to be working on to get better at!

1. Hardworking.

I will not be lazy or idle, and I will make a conscious effort not to choose the easy way out.

Proverbs 31:13,14,18,19,24

2. Early-Rising
I will not choose sleep over productivity. That means not hitting the snooze button.
Proverbs 31:15

3. Wise Speech
I will think before I speak, and I will only say what's necessary.
Proverbs 31:26a

4. Kind Speech
If something isn't edifying, I won't say it, period.
Proverbs 31:26b

5. Physically Fit
I will stay strong and in shape so that I can do whatever needs to be done.
Proverbs 31:17

6. Forward Thinker
I will plan ahead and be ready for whatever God may choose to send my way.
Proverbs 31:16,21

7. Selfless
I will put the needs and desires of others ahead of my own.
Proverbs 31:11,12,15,20,23,27

8. Humble
I will not be vain. I will realize that what is inside of me matters much more than my physical exterior.
Proverbs 31:30a

9. God-Fearing
I will fear and serve the Lord my God above all else.
Proverbs 31:30b

These obviously aren't anything new, but this is my plan of action, my list of goals, my "March resolutions". I hope they are an encouragement to you, let me know how I am doing in each area as I progress by Gods grace!

Till Next Time,

The Princess