CHAPTER 10: The Bread of Idleness

For many years, I've read about the Proverb 31 Woman and thought, "How could anyone measure up to that?"

Proverbs 31:25-27

"She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness."

I have to say that over the last 8 years or so, I've felt like I was running out of steam. Eight years ago I went through some tough health problems that took me off work for a year and rendered me feeble at the time. The Lord has blessed me to experience healing in my body. But still, I've gone through a daily struggle to "feel" like doing what needed to be done. Regardless of how I felt, I have slowed down very little. I've always been an extremely busy person. (Of course what mother with three children isn't?) But I long to have the energy to spend it on helping others.

Something that really stood out to me in this scripture is that "eat the bread of idleness" doesn't mean "lazy" or "inactive". It literally means "gossip", "discontent" and "self-pity". Gossip hasn't really been a struggle, but discontent and self-pity have been. Who hasn't felt sorry for themselves or wished that things would be different?

I pray that I will let the Holy Spirit transform my me in such a way that my life will in some way reflect the character of the Proverbs 31 woman.