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18 – Wisdom

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and instruction of kindness is on her tongue.

Forget the wisdom and kindness for a moment. She opens her mouth…. She controls it. She opens it, it doesn’t just flap uncontrollably. She doesn’t vomit words, allowing them to spill out on those around sending a retched stench through the room. She opens her mouth and out of it comes words of wisdom.

Wisdom is different than being a know-it-all. Know-it-alls vomit their words. Wisdom is spoken intentionally, with great insight and love. It comes out of a vault of experiences that has made one wise. It also knows when not to speak, wisdom in itself is wise.
As far as kindness – well those who are kind, speak kindness. After all, from the heart the mouth speaks.

A blabber mouth this woman of valor is not. When she speaks, others listen. Why? Because she not only knows what to say, she knows when to say it.

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17 – Laughter

Audio Lesson:  https://youtu.be/qKLyd7ntbL0

Strength and beauty are her raiment, and she laughs at the last day.

We know she is strong, she has legs of vigor and strong arms. We know she is beautiful, she has created her own style and wears it well. Now we know that she laughs.

I love laughter. Laughter is as unique as a person’s voice. Laughter is contagious. My grandson laughs in his sleep. One night he was laughing so hard, I began. I was on a flight where the two attendance got the giggles and couldn’t get through the, “Welcome to Denver…” part of the flight. After five attempts most of the passengers were snickering right along with them. No one knew why, it just that laughter is contagious.

Few laugh at the future. We fear it, want to avoid it, worry about it, and are convinced that it will not be what we want it to be. Laughter is far from our minds.

So who can laugh at the future? This would be someone who knows that no matter what life throws at them, they will be able to handle. This is someone whose life isn’t out of control all of the time. This is someone who has learned from past experiences and believes that those

lessons will be useful in the future.

This is someone who trusts in a God that loves them… and so they laugh.

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16 – An Entrepreneur

Audio Lesson: https://youtu.be/2Fp_j8g1JhE

She makes a cloak and sells it, and she gives a belt to the trafficker.

She is making stuff again. She’s a handy-mandy.

We don’t make stuff much anymore. It’s becoming a lost art. Back in the day, it was a school requirement. How else were you going to be able to cloth yourself if you didn’t know how to sew. We don’t sew, we shop.

So what can we do with this one? What if we switched out the word cloak for chicken? She makes chicken and sells it, and gives the leftovers to the kid next door. Yep, she’s not only handy, she’s thrifty. She can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, make BLTs and sell them at lunch hour; with the leftovers, she offers them to someone in need.

We could call this entrepreneurship. We could say that she has a mind for business, but we’ve already done that. Perhaps we should just call this common sense, which in our day is as uncommon as sewing your own coat.

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15 – The Gates

Audio Lesson on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3PVH5SnVBGo

Her husband in known in the gates, when he sits with the elders of the land.

Not everyone is invited to sit at the gates with elders. There is limited seating.

The cartoon image I have is hubby hanging out with the boys, smoking cigars while wify is tending to the kids, making her own clothes, feeding the hungry and saving the world; all while wearing a purple gown and tiara. But that’s just a cartoon.

Any successful man or woman will tell you that they would not be able to achieve what they have without a strong partner. And it’s true. Success alone is very different than success shared with someone you love. Sacrifices are made. Responsibilities are passed back and forth. One fills in the gap while the other is taking care of business. Done right, both parties celebrate the achievements. Done right, both deserve the award.

It takes a confident partner to be the support person. It takes a kind and loving partner to ensure the partnership is working even is it feels one sided at times.

The other cartoon that I see is a group of men sitting at the gates of a city, watching a woman who is alive, vibrant, and engaged in life.. wishing they had one of those!

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14 – The Bedroom

Audio Lesson: https://youtu.be/ydnXjbsWc5M

She makes beautiful bedspreads for herself; fine linen and purple wool are her raiment.

If you are picturing a woman to has no time for herself, you are wrong. This isn’t the raggedy lady that has thrown on the same old blue jeans and T-shirt because she is so busy taking care of the world she doesn’t have time to take care of herself. No, not this woman of valor. She is vibrant. She surrounds herself with color, beauty, and texture that makes her feel like a queen. Bedrooms are important. Bedrooms make a strong statement about how we feel about ourselves, our relationship, and our lives. This bedroom speaks volumes.

The bed is adorn with a beautifully designed cover, handmade by the women of the house. It’s not crumpled up in the corner, or laying on the floor, and it certainly isn’t wrapped in plastic waiting for company. It covers the bed perfectly. It draws you in and makes you want to lay down for a moment to rest. It waits for night to come, where it will be needed once again for warmth.

Around the room you won’t find clothes piled in a heap, or spread across the floor. You don’t do that to things you cherish, things you care about. She is dressed well. Well doesn’t have to be expensive. Well can simply mean you’ve put some thought into what you wear. For those still living in the world that clothes don’t matter, that ship has sailed. They do matter. They matter to you and to those around you. If they don’t matter, its because you don’t feel you matter and it’s time to get over that!

It’s time to have a bedroom that is your retreat. It’s time to paint the canvas that cover’s your body with color, textures and style. Splash on the purples, the oranges and reds. Roll out the wool, linen and cottons. Be a woman with style, it not hard and it’s not expensive; and if you don’t know how to do it – find someone who does.

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13 – Fearless

Audio Lesson: https://youtu.be/mRpgq-MucJw

She fears not for her household for the snow, for all her household are dressed in crimson.

Can we just stop at she fears not! Fear is driving our current world. We are paralyzed by it, consumed by it, drugged up in hopes to ignore it, physically sick because of it; it controls our lives.

Perfect love casts out all fear. Love is fears exact opposite. Put two magnets together and they repelled each other. Put love and fear together and one is repelled. Unlike magnets that equally move apart, we get to choose if it’s love or fear that will leave.

We have to be able to accept love. We have to accept perfect love – God’s love. It doesn’t matter how much we think we love him, or show our love for him by doing good to others. That love does not conquer fear. That love is effort and when tested, will crumble.

We also have to accept the fact that nothing we can do will ever make God love us more or less. That’s not up to us, that’s up to him and his love is unconditional, it is equal to all, and it is the only weapon against fear.

The rest of this verse simply states that she is prepared. Once again we see her life is in order, she isn’t caught off guard because winter has arrived and she wasn’t ready. She knows it comes every year. The hats, boots, mittens and winter coats are neatly piled in the front closet waiting for the snow to fall. She’s prepared. She’s organized. She’s ready. Most of all, she’s not afraid!