Proverbs 31 - help in the morning

I can't recall where I had read this, I'm sure one of you has read it before, but someone wrote about their sentiments regarding the Proverbs 31 woman.

Anyhow, I shared her estimation of the Proverbs 31 woman. Thinking she was either made up to torture us poor women, or OCD - causing my general dislike since my energy can't seem to keep up with managing things to maintain constant states of perfection.

In my mind, the Pr. 31 woman's virtuous traits were impossible to achieve - thus I didn't like to compare myself to a goal I couldn't reach. Constant frustration.

Anyhow.. said person wrote in reference to verse 15 that if she had servants she could aspire to be more like the Proverbs 31 woman.

"She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls."


Until God revealed to her that she has been given servants in her house. We have washers, dryers, dishwashers, crockpots, etc. Numerous household items that we take for granted and that we do not give daily tasks to and still bemoan not having the help we need, therefore we can't be Proverbs 31 women.

That hit home for me. I was able to start viewing the Pr. 31 woman as something to reach for as a goal, instead of someone to measure up against.

It also helped me order my mornings more effectively to give me a good start to my day. When I first get up I make my bed, dress, and go out into my kitchen to reply to the demands for food :-). After that I take care of the "portions for [my] servants". FORTUNATELY I don't have to feed them.. lol. I just have to daily give them their tasks to do. I have a mental checklist in the morning, to see that all my "servants" are working :

- Is the washer working?
- Is the dishwasher working?
- Is my breadmaker working?
- Is my yogurt maker working?
- Is my crockpot working? (if dinner will be that sort of meal)
- Is my coffee maker working? Ok, who am I trying to fool? This one is way at the top of the list ;-)

After that, I check to see that my children are working - their 5 morning chores the same ones my mom taught me when I was a kid, and that my friend has also passed on to her kids from her mother. I think our mothers must have read the same book or something ;-). Sometimes the kids are done with breakfast and on to their chores before I'm done checking my list. And so getting my "servants" up and running happens intermittently as I help the kids when needed.

Once the morning is settled we're able to move on with our day. I have found this to be the best way to get us going. It's actually not as hard to accomplish was one might think and then I can focus on school, my other daily tasks, and of course... nursing, nursing, nursing, nursing, diaper changes, and more nursing.

For a couple of years I missed the secret to starting off your day on the best foot - Proverbs 31!

So if you find yourself struggling to get your days started right, so much to do, so little time - be sure that first thing in the morning that your "servants" are working as hard as you are!


Note : All of that said, I think I need some of their aprons to be waltzing through my day in!