Proverbs 31's Wife of Noble Character

Whenever I read Proberbs 31, it's easy for me to see all the places I fail to measure up. For instance, I have never "considered a field and bought it" nor have I "planted a vineyard out of my earnings". All the members of our household are not "clothed in scarlet" and I have never "made a covering for my bed". But recently as I read Proverbs 31, my spirit felt convicted as I felt like the LORD showed me something I could do. Three verses jumped out at me, starting with verse 25. It reads:

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom;
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

The part I want to speak to here is at the end of verse 27, "and does not eat the bread of idleness." Whenever I have read this verse in the past, I took it to mean that I needed to keep myself busy while at home, i.e. dishes, laundry, etc. But I saw something a little different as I read it this time.

I think it's interesting that the author used the word "bread" here. Bread and breaking bread were very significant parts of Jesus' ministry. Often when He preached and taught people, it was while He was sharing a meal with them. Thus, He ministered while eating.

How does that translate into my life? Let's see. . . In the morning, I wake all my kids up and they come into the kitchen and have breakfast. After everyone is settled, I usually sit down at the computer and check my favorite blogs, just while they are eating.

Then we head into the living room to start our school day. We begin with Bible, then Math, Spelling, Science, Phonics and whatever else we can fit in before 12:30. At that point, I head to the kitchen to put lunch together. I get everyone's lunch on the table and then I sit idly at the computer to check what might be new on facebook. My excuse is always, "I just need a minute to myself. I've been taking care of everyone else all morning and this is my break."

This is where that verse comes in, a wife of noble character "does not eat the bread of idleness." I felt as if the Spirit said to me, "Don't eat the bread of idleness; instead, eat the bread of relationship and communion with your children." I took that to mean, "Don't sit down at the computer and be 'idle' while your kids are eating. Eat with them. Break bread with them. It's what they need. It's what you need."

I resolved to give that a try. So for about 2 weeks now, after preparing breakfast and lunch for my children, I have fixed my meal also and have been sitting down at the table to "break bread" with them. In the beginning I thought it would drain me, but what I have come to find out is that it rejuvenates me. It is at the table that the kids open up and share what is going on in their lives. So even though I have been with them all morning, it hasn't been relational really, it has been more of a teacher/student type of communication. It is at the table when they laugh more freely and talk more openly when the pressure of school is off. (Well, duh!) I'm sorry it took me so long to figure this out, but thankful that God opened my eyes to my own sin and foolishness.

I want to tell you that this has changed my life for the better. I'm not saying I'll never miss another meal with my children, but I am saying, from now on, I will definitely be more intentional about eating the bread of relationship and communion with them and thus avoid one more way of eating the bread of idleness.