A Merchant Ship??? Seriously??!!!!

"She is like the merchant's ship; she brings her merchandise from afar."  (Proverbs 31:14)

Now that I've worked my way through doing my tasks willingly, and not just because they are there or because I'm supposed to or because......... (or at least, I am working on it!!!  After all, I'm still a work in progress!!!).....here comes a comparison I don't think I'm very excited about at all.  I mean really, what woman wants to be compared to a ship?  And a "merchant ship" at that!!!  I'm just sayin'............

So, once I got over being offended (just kidding!!) about being compared to a merchant's ship, I began to give some serious thought to what this comparison really means and how I, who live in the mountains where I haven't seen any merchant ships lately, am supposed to apply this to my life.  Since I wasn't getting very far with that pursuit, I decided to dig out my Elizabeth George book (Beautiful in God's Eyes) and see what she had to say about this verse.  Once I located the book (!!!), this is what I discovered......"This image may not seem too appealing at first, but consider for a moment how the woman who is beautiful in God's eyes is indeed like a merchant's ship.  We can easily imagine, for instance, how she scours the marketplace for goods that will enhance the quality of life of those under her roof.  She spares no cost in terms of money, time, or effort when it comes to the well-being of those she love.....As she sees it, her loved ones deserve nothing but the best.  So, motivated by a heart of love, she goes the extra miles to provide the best for those at home."

So........it's about shopping!!!  That's a topic I can relate to!!  But I suppose before we take this verse as a biblical mandate to become a shopaholic, we should step back, take a deep breath, and think it through carefully.  A key may be found in the passage I quoted from Elizabeth George's Beautiful in God's Eyes....
"motivated by love".  Motivated by love, this woman "sails forth" to search the market place, looking for bargains and seeking to enhance the quality of life of her loved ones. 

To become this kind of beautiful woman is more than just an awareness that our motivation and priority should be on our family and loved ones rather than ourselves.  We need to consider what practical steps we can take to become this kind of woman.  In other words, how do I do this?  Let's think about that for a minute.  If we're thinking specifically in terms of shopping, how about these practical steps:  focus on saving money rather than spending; look for bargains; become a coupon clipper; avoid impulse buying.  Perhaps you can think of others. 

Or how about approaching this topic from a different direction.  Instead of thinking simply in terms of shopping and spending money, think of yourself as tasked with bringing beauty to your home.  How can you use your creativity and abilities to enhance the quality of life in your home?

Look back at Proverbs 9.  There's a contrast in this chapter between verses 1-6 and verses 13-18. Read those verses and note the contrast.  Then think of these two passages as two homes, and think of yourself as looking through the window into each home.  What do you see?  How would you describe these two "homemakers".  Now......here's where we get personal.......if someone were looking through the window into your home, or mine, how would it be described?  How are we expressing our love for our families?  This Proverbs 31 woman made it a priority to seek the best and to provide well for her household.  How do we measure up?