Clothed in Scarlet

“She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.”

As we were talking about yesterday, you can’t underestimate the importance of organization in the home. In this verse we see the Proverbs 31 woman is not worried about what her family will wear because she has planned ahead for their clothing needs. To give you an example of what this may look like practically; at the end of a season, say winter, my mom looks at what she has set aside for each of her children for the next winter or the next size up and decides what she will need to buy for them to make it through the following winter. Then since it is the end of the season and there are clearance sales everywhere, she picks up the items she knows they will need to be well-clothed at clearance prices. You can do this by shopping at thrift stores, or sewing their clothes yourself as well. Whatever method you chose, it is always good to be prepared.

As you begin to do these things, involve your children, especially your daughters. When they are young, they may only be able to help with counting how many socks are in a stack or telling you what colors of items you have set aside, but as they get older, involve them in the planning stages. Have them help you plan their wardrobes for the next year. Have them help you make a list or have them make a list of their own and review it with them, making suggestions about how they can improve their plan. Then take them shopping or shop online and let them pick out those new clothes. Make sure to give them guidelines to use as they choose. Give them examples of acceptable styles and let them chose the colors they like. At first you may have to guide them to matching items or styles but as they get older, they will develop a sense of color coordination and style all their own. These are just some suggestions of how to get them involved; the goal is to train our children, especially our daughters how to do the things that they will need to do for their own families someday. Be creative! Find a way that works for you and your family and have fun with it!

Another way to get your children involved is to have them help with the sewing. When they are younger, you may teach them how to sew on buttons. I remember being about 6 or 7 and she would hand me my dad’s work shirts so I could sew buttons back on them. I was so proud of being able to help my dad and once I sewed those buttons on, they never came off again! I made sure of it. The point is let them help where they can. As they get older, teach them how to use a sewing machine and let them make their own clothes or clothes for their little siblings if they want to. Sons should learn this too. Basic sewing will be a much appreciated skill if they are ever living on their own and need repairs done to their clothing. And it will save them money.

Before we stop for today, I want to share one interesting note on the text, for those who wondered like I did. I was always confused as to why being clothed in scarlet was so important in the winter. It means literally, double or to be doubly dressed. In other words it’s talking about layering. Her family has enough clothing that they can layer their clothes and stay warm in the cold weather.

May God bless you all as you strive to better care for your families and as you continue to build homes that will honor the Lord.

"Every wise woman buildeth (lit.establish or cause to continue) her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." Proverbs 14:1