Provided For & Adorned

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

The Proverbs 31 woman.  She is a fearsome thing to behold... or she would be if she ever existed.  By God's grace there are women I know that do exhibit those characteristics described in this famous passage.  It always puzzles me though, that the more I try to be like this gal that is perfect wife material, the farther I move away from showing why she is so God-glorifying.  Either I try and fail and beat myself up for days or I accomplish something I think compares and become puffed-up, unable to reflect a Greater Glory with the focus off of me. 

But I am here to bear witness to this Great Glory.  How do I do this in light of our present circumstances? It certainly doesn't feel very dignified to be kicked out of our apartment... even if it is for having three babies ~ miraculously born and beating all odds ~ at once.  It seems cruel and unfair and at times, embarrassing.  The amount of strength needed to refrain from entering into a pity party or seeking vengeance in a self-serving way is insuramountable.  And how do I laugh at such situations?  Having a safe place to raise our children is at the top of Micah's and my priority list. 

Of how much more value are you than the birds!

I remember when Micah became the owner/Operator of Chick-fil-a at Jefferson Mall, we had only a short time to move out of our corporate apartment and find something that better suited our family.  The place we found (where we currently live) has been the perfect location for us.  God planned for us to be just a few minutes from the hospital where our babies and I would spend so many weeks.  Now that we are in the hunker-down-at-home-and-raise-children phase, God has once again provided us a wonderful place to do just that.  We have been given many contacts for housing inquiries and the prospects seemed few and far between.  Apparently, Ford is bringing a very large number of employees in to our area and they need rental properties.  We have been praying about being more near our church so Micah contacted a gentleman about homes in that direction and found that a rental had just come open.  It was the perfect timing.  He had just been given the OK to show the home and had not even had time to list it.  There are so many things about this place that meet our needs so well.  So really, Jesus words are proving so true.  Even though moving is difficult, I believe it is a blessing in disguise... After carrying the babies up and down the stairs, in the rain and in the heat (sounds like an up-hill both ways story, huh?!?) I believe it is indeed a blessing.

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

Luke 12:27

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 61:10

But our story extends far beyond what is happening to us.  God is working for us.  I, as a daughter of the King whose execution of the ideals I see in Proverbs 31 are far from excellent, have been adorned in the One who is perfectly strong and dignified.  In Him, I have already died to controlling my future and trust perfectly in His ways.  Today, I resonate with giggling at the future and laughing off the thought that I am not taken care of~ whether strained, or evicted, or trying to make sense of current realities.

To evoke a good laugh, I thought I would share this picture of Andrew and Elijah reacting to all the babies crying the car at the same time:

"Look at all those babies!" ~ Andrew

**If you previously read this post, I used the word infamous to describe the Proverbs 31 Woman.  While intimidating, she certainly is not infamous.  Please forgive the error.  It was a mistake on my part.