Biblical Womanhood: The home economist

For those of you who read this article and the ensuing discussions here and elsewhere, I encourage you to read Jennie Chancey's follow-up article posted today. I hope this might clear up some of the misunderstandings that this article caused.

Let's look again at the Proverbs 31 woman--that do-it-all Superwoman who surely can't be taken seriously! The main concern raised by correspondents is the economic angle. So let's explore that. A straightforward reading of Proverbs 31 shows that this woman did bring in income with her wise investments:

"She considers a field and buys it; with her profits she plants a vineyard"~ 31:16.

"She perceives that her merchandise is good" ~ 31:18a

"She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants" ~ 31:24

The important point to note is that she is not the provider--the breadwinner. Her husband is the one "known in the gates"--he's no lazy bum letting his wife support him! The wife is augmenting the family estate--adding to it through careful production and spending. This is what the wise woman does whether she is saving her husband money or earning extra. When I started a home sewing business as a newlywed, I never imagined it would grow to be a pattern company wholesaling to shops in Australia and Great Britain and all over the US, but it has. God has greatly blessed this small labor I began when my children were small and has enabled me to keep up with it as a family business. I am not the provider. I am not the breadwinner. But my merchandise has brought in above and beyond what we expected and contributed to what we call my "Proverbs 31 fund." And mine is only one story of many thousands!

This is the spirit of Proverbs 31. Not all women will have a talent or gift they can turn into a specialized home business, but most women can help their husbands by bookkeeping, ordering supplies, managing correspondence, etc. I have a friend whose mother has basically been secretary and office manager at home for her husband's construction business since they were newlyweds. All the children now also help in the business. It is a family effort. The husband is the provider, and the wife is his helper.
Read the full article.

When I read the initial article which caused such a flurry of discussion around the blogosphere, this is what I took from it. Yes, I didn't agree with all of Pastor Abshire's conclusions and definitely thought the article's method of presentation could have been improved upon, but what I appreciated is that he was encouraging wives to realize their incredible role as the household economist. Sometimes, with all the distractions in life seeking to pull us from the most important, we forget our main purpose as wives - to glorify as we seek to make our own husbands successful. We were created to be our own husband's help meet. It is our job as wives to seek to do everything in our power to honor our husbands and make them more successful. This is our highest calling as wives.

This will mean different things for different women at different times since we are all married to different men and in different seasons of our lives! Whether you have a home business or not doesn't really matter, what does matter is that you are throwing your life into glorifying the Lord as you serve alongside and complete the man that God has called you to love, honor, cherish, and submit to.

Ask your husband very often, "What can I do for you today?" "Is there anything I can help you with?" Constantly be thinking: "What can I do today to honor my husband and make him successful?" Communicate with him about his dreams, his visions, his ambitions. Find practical ways to help him fulfill those. Look for opportunities to relieve him of burdens. Delight in blessing him in little ways. Admire him profusely. Show gratitude daily.

As wives, one way we can honor our husbands is by being a wise steward of the time, money, and resources God has blessed our family with. Through careful stewardship of these resources, we can make our home prosper and flourish, even on a tiny budget. We can bring honor to our husband by stretching his hard-earned money as far as possible, by seeking to relieve his burdens as much as we can, by seeking to make him successful, and by making our home a center for training up the next generation, for ministry to our community, and for evangelism to the lost. What a powerful and incredible role we have!

Related: My husband and I recently enjoyed this sermon by Voddie Baucham on the role of the wife.
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I've opted to close the comments on this post since we already had quite a lengthy discussion on the subject earlier this week. I encourage you to read Jennie's article, especially if you are a wife or hope to someday be one, and then pray and seek the Lord concerning how He would have you bless your own husband and make him successful. If you'd like to comment on this article, you are more than welcome to email me. God bless you all!

Graphic from Art.com

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The home economist

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