"She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet."
I think that the premise behind this verse is that the viruous wife is well prepared. Whether it be for cold weather, financial hardships, or any other difficulties that may arise.
Moving to the Midwest, and living a simple life, have made me think a little differently in regards to winter. Having grown up in the south, where winter is really just an extension of autumn and a brief pre-cursor to spring, I never thought much about "preparing". And really, in this world of modern convenience the "necessity" of preparing for winter is hardly there. It is not that difficult to make a quick trip to the local Wal-mart, even in a bit of snow!
But we have had a change of mindset in our family, that really changes the way we look at things. True, we may not "need" to prepare our household for winter...but perhaps doing so will be of great benefit.
It started, for us, with feeling God really leading us in the area of being better stewards of the resources that He has blessed us with. Just because we can afford to do things a certain way, does that mean we should? It had never occurred to us that we could learn to be so much more frugal simply by thinking a bit outside the box when it came to buying food for our family. Like so many others, when I felt like we needed apples, I would just buy a bag from the grocery store. But now we have learned more about using what we have, what is in season, and what is available at a good cost. Sure we may prefer to buy bananas over apples, but if we can get the apples for $5 for a half bushel-then shouldn't we find a way to really like apples? This is where the valuable art of food preservation comes in handy! I must admit to having felt very intimidated to learn to can foods. I think that was the one homemaking skill I was most afraid to attempt. But now I am so glad that I have learned. What joy comes from "putting up food" for my family to enjoy! What a sense of satisfaction that comes from stocking our pantry, and our freezer with homemade foods, so that no matter what comes, we have food, good homemade food at that. This is an area where I feel I still have so much to learn, and so many ways that I need to improve. But it is an exciting journey to grow in my role as homemaker!
Pax Christi,
Pax Christi,
I was going to post my question when you had your "thrift store" post the other day, but I felt awkward bringing it up. Now that you have addressed the "just because we can afford to afford to do things a certain way, does that mean we should", I would like to know your opinion... I grew up in what I would call upper class and my parents would NEVER shop in thrift stores because "they didn't HAVE to", and they "inadvertently" made it very apparent to us that they looked down on people who thrifted. For example, they judged their choice to buy at thrift stores and then go on an expensive holiday. They implied that thrift stores were essentially for the extremely unfortunate and basically homeless! My childhood "take" on this was that they were snobs! More recently I had a conversation with friends who are quite well-to-do but seem to be very humble and they feel that they don't thrift shop because it would be unfair to take away from the people that truly need it. They personally feel that it would be wrong to buy used since there are those who need it more, and they choose to buy new and then pass off their hand-me-downs to others who need it. What are your thoughts on this? Because of the circumstances of my upbringing I am not sure "what to think?"
ReplyDeleteRebecca in Canada :)
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI think this is an excellent question!
We have pondered that question as well. Should we shop at the thrift shops when we do not have a need?
I think that the answer to that depends on the purpose of the thrift store. There are certainly thrift stores or clothing "closets" set up to provide for the extremely unfortunate. Obviously it would be wrong to take from these places if you were not in need.
Many thrift stores are set up so that the proceeds of the store benefit certain charities or organizations. (such as disabled veterans, or women's shelters). In these cases you are not "taking" from someone who needs it, but rather you are simply adding to the proceeds to help these organizations. Many of these stores have large inventories, and there's plenty to go around for anyone who chooses to shop there. In many cases we end up buying things that have been reduced, simply because they have been on the racks for a long time...
Like you, I grew up in an upper class family who looked down on those who shopped in thrift stores or discount stores. Learning to be a good steward of resources was a difficult lesson for me. One thing that has helped me in this area is learning that whatever little things I can do, to lesson the financial requirements that it takes to raise our family, is one less thing on my husband's shoulders.
I also have learned that just because we have been blessed in the area of finances, does not mean that we will always be...God could choose to change our circumstances at any time. I know that it is important to not be so reliant on finances.
I hope this helps to answer your question :)
Blessings,
Melly Elizabeth
Yes, thanks for your answer. I am always amazed at how easily a child (me) is influenced by their parents' false ideals/values, and can still be slightly confused as an adult as to what is "the right thing". It makes me very mindful of how influential I am as a parent, and I am very careful to default back to the Bible when I "just don't know"!
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always so "peaceful" and calming to me! Maybe it's the pink.... :)
Rebecca in Canada :)
That is so true Rebecca! I think we face that same challenge quite a bit, here!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words! They are such an encouragement to me!!
Hugs,
Melly Elizabeth