Getting Christmas Crafty
21 Oct 2010 1 Comment
It is OCTOBER! So… time to get ready for Christmas, right?!
Last week we had an amazing time learning how to MAKE gifts for our friends and family. We made packets of hot-cocoa, easy scarves, and chocolate covered pretzels, and learned how to make no-sew fleece blankets!
SO – Why on earth do we make crafts in a church? Here is why we had a Christmas crafty day… we owe it all to the Proverbs 31 lady! Do you know about her?
The proverbs 31 woman is (like Mary-Poppins) practically perfect in every way. In fact, she can be pretty intimidating (and quite annoying!) She is an excellent wife, trustworthy, she does all the shopping, she sews garments for her family and sells clothes to other poeple too, she is a great boss, she buys land and plants her own vineyard, she’s strong, she is profitable, she goes to bed late and gets up early, she reaches out to the poor, she makes her own bedding, She is dignified and wise, she teaches others about kindness and is not idle. Her kids love and praise her… and so does her hubby. It even says she “laughs at the time to come”. Phew… if we want to be like this lady — we’ve got a LOT to live up to. It can almost seem impossible!!
I used to think that this woman was at the end of the “book of wisdom” to point a finger at me… showing me all the things I am not. I could here her gloating and jeering “look at what i do! look at what you DONT do… “. But as I’ve grown closer to the Lord, read His Word… and studied the Proverbs 31 woman a little closer, my view of her has changed.
I don’t think she is pointing out what we CANT or DONT do. I think she is providing an image of what we CAN be like. She is saying… look at all these things I do, it isn’t impossible! Keep trying, keep close to the Lord, keep on keeping on… and you can do it, too. This lady no longer is a thorn in my side… but a motivator and someone I can look up to. I may never reach her level, but I can certainly try to mold myself to who she is.
So, we are learning to do a little of what this woman does — she is crafty. She makes clothes, she makes bedding and coverings… and knows how to kep her family warm. Through OUR craftiness, the possibilities are endless. Who can YOU keep warm with the scarves or blankets we made? Who can you make smile by giving them a sweet treat? You can show kindness by giving gifts, you can make money by selling them! – See? Isn’t the lady at the end of Proverbs an excellent role model?!
Next time: Holiday Cooking, “She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.”
Nov 01, 2010 @ 02:17:30
This is fantastic. Thank you so much for this! I’ve already made a few scarves for my relatives.