Proverbs 31:27

Tweet

"She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, 

   and keeps them all busy and productive."

Quality: 
          Supervisor: Responsible for & Oversees the completion of tasks
          Developer of the Future Generation: "Trains a child up in the way 
          he/she should go. 

Breakdown:
The Proverbs 31 Woman (P31W) is the heart of her home, & she is also 2nd in command. Picture it this way: On a ship there is a captain who is the commander of the ship. He is followed up by a First-Mate who supervises the operations of the ship & oversees the crew members. Your husband is the captain of the ship (head of the home), you are the first mate (responsible for it's maintenance & operation), & your children are the crew members (future captains & first-mates in training). The P31W is aware that "many hands make light work." She delegates responsibilities (chores,if you will) to the members of her household & oversees their completion. The delegation of tasks & responsibilities is key to the smooth running of the household for many reasons: 
1. Gives each member of the family a sense of worth.
2. Spreads evenly the burden of running the home.
3. Teaches children to have a servant's heart.
4. Trains & prepares the children to one day be the captains & first-mates (husbands/fathers & wives/mothers).
5. Teaches children submission & the natural hierarchy, thereby helping them to grasp the concept of submission to the Lord.
6. Assures that children understand things are earned.  
The P31W knows that the purpose of a well-run home is not merely to create a relaxing refuge for her family, but more importantly to teach her children responsibility & appreciation of hard work. She knows that children do not miraculously one day just become contributing, responsible, moral adults...that they must be "trained up" towards that goal. The P31W assigns each household member tasks (age appropriate ones of course), teaches them how to complete the task properly, & then assures that it is done to that standard. She praises them for the work that they do, corrects them when it is done in haste or incorrectly, & increases the importance/difficulty of their tasks as they grow & mature. The P31W does not tolerate laziness. She understands that this fosters a sense of entitlement & encourages the child to learn to take advantage of others. She conveys to her children the importance of making the most of the precious time God has given...be it the completion of tasks or the passing on of His love. The P31W knows that learning to walk through life, to handle it's necessary tasks well, with responsibility & a sense of pride, teaches her children profound life skills & concepts. 

Application: 
We live in a time in which children have been made the center of life. Everything hovers around what they need & want...this is a sinful, vicious cycle that must stop! Children are not/should not be the center of the universe, Christ is! Essentially we have made children God...we have set them up as idols to worship & please.  Perhaps out of pure intentions, we have unwittingly robbed children of a chance to truly understand the Lord. They have no understanding or respect for authority (hence the importance of submission). They feel entitled to have whatever they want whenever they want it with little or no effort on their part to earn it. What seems so trivial has in fact uprooted the foundation of faith. Children who are selfish, unmotivated, & incapable cannot operate as part of the Body of Christ.  The understanding of Proverbs 31:27 is critical & vital to restoring the future generation to true righteous faith. 
As a godly women it is our duty, our calling to prepare our children to be holy, righteous contributors to the Kingdom...if we fail to do so we are sinning. We must set aside the need to be "liked" by our children & understand that what they truly need sometimes is "tough love". We do our children no favors when we require & expect nothing of them, when we hand them anything they ask for, when we bow down & cave in to their demands. I daresay that we will one day be held accountable for those very actions. 
Begin by instituting a chore chart for your child. Assign age appropriate tasks for them to complete on a daily basis. *A child is capable of "helping" around age 1-18 mo. Our daughter has her own chore chart at age 3* Teach them how to complete these tasks & to do it well. Do not settle when your child does less than he/she is capable of. As a child grows & becomes more mature increase the number & difficulty level of tasks.  I encourage you to not allow this to become all about receiving rewards but to foster the development of a servant's heart. Teach your child to delight in helping others, in blessings others...that should be the ultimate reward.If you choose to go the route of a monetary reward, take that chance to teach the importance of tithing & saving. Fiscal Responsibility! Say the allowance is $1.00 a week. Set up 3 jars & label them (Tithe, Save, Spend). Have your child put a dime in the tithe jar, a dime in the save jar, & .80 in the spend jar. This is a prime opportunity to show them how much it requires to be able to buy something.  Be forthright with your children. Explain to them that this is about more than having a clean house, but that it is about the building of character & the preparation to one day be mommies & daddies themselves. A child is capable of grasping a deeper meaning, & will even be more motivated to follow through.