What a party animal! She stays up all night!
Or maybe she is a workaholic.
No, I don't think so.
Actually, it does not say she is up all night; just that her candle never goes out.
Shall we visit the parable of The Ten Virgins?
(Matthew 25: 1-13) There were these ten women, all of them pure. They were all to attend this wedding. They were waiting outside the front gate for the groom to arrive and the party to begin when they all fell asleep.
Suddenly, about midnight, they hear someone yelling, "Here comes the bridegroom!" They all jump up and turn their lamps up to a brighter setting. The five wise virgins had no problem doing this. They added more fuel and turned the wick up to give off a brighter glow.
The foolish ones, however, had a problem. They were out of fuel!
They turned to the wise virgins and said, "Hey, could you share some of your oil with us?"
The wise virgins replied, "We would love to, but if we did, we would not have enough fuel to keep our lamps lit until the bridegroom gets here. Sorry"
The foolish virgins then ran to the nearest 7-Eleven to buy more oil. When they got back, the bridegroom had already come, everyone was Inside of the gate and it was locked. They yelled for someone to open it up, but the bridegroom could not recognize their voices and refused. They missed the whole shebang.
Weddings were done a little differently in those days. They did not have clocks and were not as obsessive about time as we are. It was customary for the bridegroom to say, "I will be there Thursday to pick you up" and arrive anywhere from sun up to late at night. There would then be a brief celebration at the bride's house and all their friends and relatives would escort them back to his house to party for three or four days. Then they were considered married.
These wise virgins thought ahead and were prepared for the groom to arrive late. They brought extra oil just in case.
Our Proverbs 31 woman was also prepared. She had enough oil and big enough candles that if her children woke in the middle of the night needing to go to the bathroom, there was no danger of them stubbing their little toes in the complete dark.
In an emergency, she did not have to run to a neighbor to get fire to light her house up, she just had to go to her well-burning candle and light all the lights she needed.
The oil in the parable in Matthew signifies salvation. The foolish virgins were careless of their walk with God and let their salvation wane (Burn up- if you will). The wise virgins were careful to keep their lamps full of God. They nurtured their relationship with Him; keeping It strong enough to weather the long, dark night.
How is your candle doing?
Does It burn even in the darkest of nights, when it is the most difficult to shine?You know, you don't need a light so much in the daytime. You are surrounded by light and it is easy to shine.
But what about at "night?" Those times when you are the only Christian around? Does the light of Jesus in your heart shine out like a candle in a dark room at midnight?
''This little light of mine. I'm going to let it shine ... "
This Proverbs 31 woman was wise enough to think ahead to the night and the next morning.
I have long wanted to cook more foods by scratch, but continually found myself at five O’clock without enough time to do so. Back to the convenience foods.
I was being a poor planner.
In visiting a forum on the Internet the other day, a woman stated that she has dinner done by nine (a.m.) or it's not on time! This has got me to thinking: If I begin dinner early in the morning and work on things in little minutes throughout the day, I could do more things by scratch and dinnertime would not be rushed to boot! I tried it and you know what? It worked!
In fact, now I work on each meal (breakfast, lunch and supper) a full day ahead of time.
Did you know I never run out of dish soap, shampoo, or toothpaste? I simply keep a spare or each in storage at all times. When I use up a bottle I replace it from storage, and then make my shopping list, not from my "active cupboards," but from storage. If I don't have an unopened bottle or tube in storage, I am out and replace it at the store that week (even if I have a brand new bottle open in the other room).
When we went on vacation year before last I made notes on what worked well and what could be improved and how. When vacation time came last year, I planned every detail I could think of ahead of time, and practiced things like putting up the tent and packing the van. It made such a nicer trip. It is amazing what a little planning can do.
When you find yourself stressed, stop and give some thought to what is causing the stress. You may be able to avoid it in the future with a little planning.
Proverbs 21:20 says “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.”
Remember the big Y2K scare a few years ago? "The earth is going to come to an end! My computer won't work and I won't be able to play solitaire anymore!"
One joke I heard at the time said Y2K would give the Amish what they had always wanted- World Domination! Many people stocked up on food and water so they could survive this disaster, (living without computers, not rule of the Amish).
Then nothing happened and many felt foolish.
Well, I don't think it was such a foolish thing.
One family that stocked up had a very uneventful New Year’s Day, only to be struck by a blizzard three days later. They could not get to the store or anywhere for more than a week. No problem. They had a full pantry and all the supplies they needed.
We ought to consider being prepared at all times. We never know when flood, feast, or famine will hit and we will need those supplies. We might be able even to minister to our neighbors in time of crisis by having a full storage pantry, at least a month's worth of food.
This woman, (Sigh. I am tired of calling her that. Let's give her a name. Hmm. How about Sarah?) Sarah here knew the value of what was in her home and it pleased her. She was contented.
Paul says he tried to be content no matter what condition he found himself in. We should also strive to be content.
How?
By focusing on the good things we have. Don't dwell on your old, crowded house, clunker car, or outdated clothes. Think of how wonderful it is to have running water, paved streets, and bathrooms!
Most of the world, today and in History have lived in houses the size of our average living room with all their kids and often their parents or an aunt or two.
Thank God for the wealth to BE crowded in a relatively large house and that your children live in a place where most children grow up to adulthood. Some places in this world a mother can only count on raising half of her children on average. It is humbling when you think of how fully God has blessed us. What did we do to deserve this?
“Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Psalms 127:1
All the technology in the world would do us no good if God had not chosen to bless us so overwhelmingly.
In fact, it is not uncommon in Europe, even with all the same technology available, for three generations to live in what we would consider a small apartment, without the electronic servants we have, either.
No, our lifestyle is a blessing from God.
Our country was founded by men who believed in God; or at least knew the wisdom of following His commands. I think this is why God has blessed us. Let's seek His way of living and continue the blessings for the future generations, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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