Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Proverbs 31 wife and household clutter

Have you ever considered that the Proverbs 31 wife may not have a "Better Homes and Gardens" or "Martha Stewart" standard of housekeeping? Well, if you haven't, do; consider the fact that this woman is spinning, weaving, and dying cloth. Consider the fact that she's providing portions for her servants as well, and consider the implications.

You've got a kitchen that's well used; wheat in one corner, the kneading trough in another, grindstone in another, and places for oil (and olives), wine, and other necessaries. In another room, you've got wool and linen in one corner, washed wool and beaten linen in another, spindle and distaff with yarn in another, and half-finished weaving yet elsewhere. Talk about clutter in a home used for actual work! So if you've got a project or ten sitting out on the ping pong table, just tell your detractors that you're trying to be like the Proverbs 31 wife.

Consider also how this woman is treating those who work for her. No corner office autocrat barking orders at subordinates, but rather a woman leading by example. In other words, she doesn't do all this because she has servants, but rather she has servants because she does all this.

And yes, men ought to take note, too, and not just in the picking of one's wife and discipling of one's "spare rib," either.

6 comments:

Gino said...

what?
now i gotta buy my wife a servant,too?

'but Honey, i bought you a nice home. what more do you want?
never mind.
sorry i asked.'

Bike Bubba said...

I was thinking more along the lines of "you don't need to pass a white glove test in your housekeeping." I was actually pointing out that when you do this, she may be so productive, SHE gets to hire someone to help her handle all the bounty.

:^)

Mark said...

My take from this was: my clutter's okay, too. :^)

Bike Bubba said...

At the very least, you would be able to argue that clutter related to some productive enterprise is allowed. Now that stack of "Gilligan's Island" DVDs, on the other hand...

Anonymous said...

In a a very similar vein, there is another Proverb that has always given me comfort and encouragement (don't know the reference off hand and it's late so I'm not looking it up):

"Where the ox is present, the trough is not clean, but much increase comes by the strength of an ox."

My husband likes me to keep things in order (and I could do better at this) but there are times he'll encourage me with this proverb when I'm fretting over genuine "work mess."

Anonymous said...

On the flip side, though, are the ladies I know who are productive and yet relentlessly orderly (without making it an idol or driving their families crazy over it.) I think I've come to the point of chalking those cases up to "different gifts."