Woman of Noble Character 2

Week 2: Proverbs 31:13-15"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens."





Do you plan and prepare for the day? Do you start the day with a quiet time with the Lord? Are you ready to meet the challenges of the day? Write a post about how you set aside time to plan and prepare for yourself and your family everyday. Whether it be meal planning, scheduling, grocery lists, chores, or what you do to make sure you have time for Bible study and prayer with God.


I have to admit that this is an area of struggle for me. It isn't that I never plan or never prepare. I just have lots of disruptions to my plans. When I take the time to plan something and it doesn't work the way I planned, I freak out. I yell or pout or sulk or walk around in a funk, sometimes for days. I have learned that it just isn't worth it.

In the past I have had a regular schedule for shopping. I have made long, detailed grocery lists and spent hours sorting coupons only to find that the commissary doesn't carry half the products I have coupons for. I have also gotten home and found that I forgot to add some critical item to my list and end up making another trip.

For me, I tend to work better under less rigid conditions. I am a very intuitive person (according to those personality tests) and I function best when I use that instinct. I have had countless impressions to buy an extra dozen eggs or laundry detergent when I was sure I didn't need those things. When I got home, sometimes with the item sometimes not, I found that I did, indeed, need the thing I felt impressed to buy. If I listened, I pat myself on the back. If I didn't, I kick myself in the pants. It might seem silly but I believe we can be guided by the Spirit at ALL TIMES and in ALL PLACES...even the grocery store.

As for the spiritual side of the question, same goes. As a teenager I was able to follow a daily scripture-reading schedule in addition to early morning seminary. In college, my resolve fell apart. I have never managed to reestablish the habit.

That doesn't mean I don't study. I try to include gospel study wherever I can. I play General Conference CD's while I clean. I really enjoy having religious discussions with people of other faiths. It helps me think about my own religion from a different perspective. Sometimes I am faced with questions I can't answer. In researching the subject, I gain tremendous insights into my own beliefs.

My current goal is to read one Genereal Conference talk every day, marking the parts taht stand out to me. I haven't done very well this year but I am not going to beat myself up about it. It takes time to establish these kind of habits. Making an effort will do more good than giving up, even if the effort is inconsistant.