Reaching Forward

IOW quote for January 8, 2008

In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet." ~Proverbs 31: 19 – 21~

In this familiar chapter of the Bible we find words of wisdom from a mother to her son. Her quest was to teach him the things he needed to do while pointing out the kind of woman he should be looking for. Definitely nothing you’d see in a local newspaper ad, “single man seeks single woman 36-45 loves fishing and traveling.”

The idea of the ad is for a woman to read it and respond to it and that’s what we need to do with Proverbs 31. Years gone by when I was disabled for those 12 years of my life the thought of being able to do all the things that made for a good, worthy, upright woman seemed impossible to me. I had failed before I even started. After all, instead of grasping on to a spindle or distaff or anything else in order to work I was grasping on to people’s hands as I had seizures. I was the one people were extending their hands out to instead of the other way around. Scarlet? I couldn’t even get close with my hand-me-down clothes mixed with yesterday’s attire.

We can rest assure God didn’t put this chapter in the Bible to show us where we fall short, to point out where we have failed, to exalt one group of women while putting down another. It is here to set a mark for us to reach for. The grading system we attach to it isn’t from God but Satan himself trying to bring down in us what should be built up. That is our self-confidence that we can be all we can be in and through Christ.

It doesn’t matter what our physical limitations are, or how tight the money, or how lavished we are dressed God has given us all the ability to do our best. There’s our mark for 2008 and for every year or date to follow. We’d be surprised just what we can accomplish if we would only allow ourselves.

Closing thought: With God all things are possible. When we sell ourselves short we sell Him short as being unable to accomplish anything in us. I must confess as I raise my hand ever so slowly and humbly with tears in my eyes that I’ve been guilty of doing just that. Praise the Lord God had more confidence in me than I had in myself, that no matter how far I was setting myself backwards in my attitude and lack of confidence that He was able to move me forward to where I am today. You serve the same God as I do. He’s the same on the East coast as He is on the West. It doesn’t matter what country we live in, what academic level we fall under or standard of living we find ourselves in. God is our standard.

Alone, being the virtuous, good, worthy, righteous woman we need to be is impossible but WITH God all things are possible. Am I wearing out that phrase??? I sure hope not because it’s a truth we need to grasp. Put down Satan’s report card he has mailed to your heart and pick up God’s hand, His love, His Spirit and reach forward.


The host is this week is Nina at Mama’s Little Treasures so why don’t you pop in and see and share what others have to say about today’s quote from God himself.