She Considers a Field

“She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.”

Here again we see the Proverbs 31 woman showing us her pattern of industry. She is searching constantly looking for ways to bring assistance to her husband by finding new methods of saving and earning money, all the while never leaving her home duties to do so. Her focus remains steady and unmovable and yet she does not stand still waiting for someone else to do her work for her.

To consider means to devise a plan; she doesn’t buy this land frivolously but very carefully works out how she will pay for it and what she plans to use it for. Her goal is to bless her husband and her family, not to burden them with debt. Furthermore, she pays for it with money she has earned by economy and using her time wisely. This is not the kind of woman who runs to her husband with every need, overburdening him with financial requests. She saves and uses that savings not for her own wants, but to contribute to the family’s needs and wants. Planting a vineyard helped provide her family with wine; to drink for enjoyment, for medicine and even for sacrifice to the Lord. To apply this to our own lives, we can look for ways to use our resources to contribute to the needs of our families. For example, if you have a house full of growing children and those children are eating you out of house and home, well what better way to help out than to plant a garden! And as part of that garden, plant a few herbs to help with sicknesses. Most likely you don’t have extra money lying around to buy a field, so use your backyard. Starting small is just fine as long as you start somewhere. And hopefully as your garden produces more and more, you will have extra to sell to neighbors or friends, so you can put away that extra to continue the cycle. Or you could barter with a friend who raises animals to get fresh meat or eggs or milk. In this way, you are not only saving the money you would spend on fruits and vegetables, but also on other food items.

The point is that we can all find ways to save a little here and there with careful planning. We have talked before about menu planning. Maybe for you, it will all start there. Careful planning of meals will help you save money and also help you feed your family healthier food. The key is in the planning. Consider what it is that is important to you and your family and find a way to make that happen. Pray that God will show you new ways to save and plan. And use what you are able to save for the benefit of your family. Won’t your husband be surprised and rise up to bless you!