Verse 22

"She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple." Proverbs 31:22

Wow. What to pick out of that verse? The first part of the verse talks about making bed coverings, I would assume like we have quilts and blankets? I can knit and crochet blankets; I am a really poor quilter. I did make a crazy quilt about 18 years ago, but it was not pieced together quite right and the corners don't match up, and I could go on and on about how awful it was. We still use it, but I'd never show it to people outside of our immediate family.

What I think this part of the verse is speaking about, though, is not that the coverings are particularly well-crafted or that they are elaborate. I think it goes deeper than that. I think it speaks more about providing for and keeping one's family (and herself) warm and comfortable. The Proverbs 31 woman takes care to see that she and her family are snug and warm at night and able to sleep well.

The second part of the verse, "she is clothed in fine linen and purple," definitely talks about royalty. This woman is well respected and is associated with nobility. Now, how many of us common folk can aspire to that? Well, we can be gracious and self-controlled type of women. We know how to act when we're around the influential people of the world.

The Proverbs 31 woman has earned respect and honor by the way she lives out her life: serving others by providing for their needs & by being kind and gracious to others, even those who might hurt us.