Physical fitness, that is, being in good physical condition and healthy, is enthusiastically affirmed by many twenty-first century women. The biblical application is defined by three words . . . suitable, proper, and fit; they describe the Wise Proverbs 31 Woman’s attitude toward the condition of her body. Suitable guides her in the selection of physical toning activities that prepare her to fulfill the demands of her life. Proper encourages her to select activities that are dictated by good judgment. Fit expands the definition to challenge her to possess the qualifications necessary to meet conditions, circumstances, purposes, or demands. The Wise Woman described in Proverbs 31:17 is physically fit partially because of the rigorous work she does to maintain a well-run home.
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IS PHYSICAL FITNESS SOMETHING CHRISTIAN WOMEN SHOULD PRIORITIZE?
As our spring/summer garments emerge from hibernation we frequently find that they do not fit as attractively as we would like. The bulkiness of the winter garments may have graciously camouflaged areas of our bodies that the ones for spring and summer painfully emphasize. Our mirrors may challenge us to pose the question, “Is physical fitness something I should prioritize?”
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ARE YOU WILLING TO REBUILD BROKEN BRIDGES?
Bridges are found throughout the world and range in size from an ornamental structure across a gentle, bubbling brook to the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge located on the Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway in China. It is the longest bridge in the world and covers a total distance of approximately 102.4 miles.
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DO YOU HAVE A SPRING CLEANING STRATEGY?
As the days are lengthening and retailers are displaying gardening supplies and clothing catalogs announce their “new arrivals,” I am reminded that spring is the time to put aside the “sheltering in” aspects of winter and focus on how to refresh my home to make it a “prepared place” for all who enter in the days to come. I also acknowledge that if I want my home to be a “prepared place” I will need a “Spring Cleaning Strategy” that begins with my heart and then motivates the completion of specific tasks.
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IS YOUR LOVE PATIENT?
An early January trip to my local Hallmark store revealed a transform in progress. The prices on the remaining Christmas items were drastically reduced, the ornament display was being dismantled, and the Valentine Day inventory was already displayed.
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AS YOU APPROACH 2022 ARE YOU FOCUSED ON “PUTTING ON THE NEW SELF”?
When I turned the calendar to December, I was keenly aware that it was time for us to begin decorating our home for the holiday season. I rejoiced that the Christmas decorations were stored in crates in an organized manner that would make decorating a pleasure rather than a chore. I also knew that I wanted to clean the house before “putting off” the Thanksgiving decorations and “putting on” those used for Christmas. It would be nice, I mused, if the house would remain clean throughout the holiday season. However, I am well aware that cleaning is a way of life, not an event, which means the same cleaning process will be replicated during and when the season is over.
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ARE YOU COMMITTED TO YOUR COMMITMENTS?
I am privileged to be a member of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization— peointernational.org). Our purpose, according to the Texas State P.E.O. website, is to “celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans and stewardship of Cottey College; and motivate each other to achieve their highest aspirations.”
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CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS OF MINISTRY PARTNERSHIP
Five years ago this month a new feature to “The Everyday Homemaker,” Kelsey’s Korner, was launched. At that time the Homemaking concentration at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary transitioned to the Family and Consumer Sciences Program. Kelsey was my new administrative assistant and graduate student. As well, she was my “spiritual grandchild” having graduated from the Family and Consumer Sciences program I established at The Master’s University. We began modeling the Titus 2 principles described in my “mentoring” blog posts as she added her biblical and professional insights to each month’s topic. It is a special blessing to partner with Kelsey in the Everyday Homemaker ministry. I love the way that we sharpen and complement one another as we participate in this intergenerational ministry (Prov. 27:37).
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DO YOU MANAGE YOUR TIME OR DOES IT MANAGE YOU?
I grew up in the era when clothes were actually ironed and was always intrigued when Mom would take a wet, wrinkled garment and, with the combination of the iron’s heat and her pressure, transform the garment from an unacceptable to a wearable condition. Wanting to follow her model, I would ask to “help.” She first taught me how to iron her embroidered dishtowels. One set of seven towels provided the time management guidelines for her week—wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday, mend on Wednesday, clean on Thursday, shop on Friday, cook on Saturday, and worship on Sunday. More importantly than the ironing skill Mom imparted, her time management skills challenged me to be excited about integrating them into my life. Though I am a Certified Family and Consumer Scientist by education and profession, I learned the “how tos” of time management by assimilating what she modeled.
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ARE YOU WILLING TO TRUST IN GOD’S PROVISION?
I am blessed to have my dental needs provided by an excellent dental office staff. Since I have spent a small fortune on my mouth, I can easily fret about my six month dental examination because I never know what it may reveal. As the date for the appointment approaches, I have two choices—I can worry about what might surface during my examination or I can trust that my loving heavenly Father will provide me with the courage to accept its diagnosis.
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DO YOUR SUMMER PROJECTS INCLUDE A PURGING PARTY?
The summer after I completed kindergarten my mother introduced me to a new summer project—“purging.” It began in my bedroom and focused on removing all of the unnecessary items, from school and Sunday School papers to outgrown clothing. She packaged it as a “party,” suggesting that we were making room for the new clothes I would need for fall as well as the papers that I would accumulate throughout the approaching school year. Since I was now “a big girl,” what started in my room spread throughout our home as we went through each room purging the unnecessary items and reorganizing those that remained. This practice continued until she stepped into eternity and has followed me into my adult years.
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THE HONORED ROLE OF PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD
“For all eternity, may happiness and peace be as abundant in your heart as your goodness and sweetness so rightfully deserves….The LORD will give strength unto His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11 So reads the inscription written by my father to my mother in her Bible eight years prior to my adoption into the Ennis family. My mother’s prayer was much like Hannah’s recorded in 1 Samuel 1:10-19. She greatly desired a child; however, a hysterectomy at an early age rendered the desire biologically impossible. The Lord, nonetheless, said “yes” to her heart’s desire and allowed the assimilation of a daughter into their childless household through adoption.
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ARE YOU DRESSED FOR SERVICE?
Living in Central Texas I yearly experience the truth of the statement, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Though I cannot see the wind when I experience the March “lion gusts” I am reminded that like the wind, Satan is my unseen enemy (Eph. 6:12). He is portrayed in Scripture as a “roaring lion” who consistently looks for opportunities to overwhelm the believer with temptation, persecution, and discouragement (1 Peter 5:8-9). If I plan to be outdoors, though the sun may be brightly shining, I need the protection of a jacket or sweater when I step out into the March wind. As well, I need the spiritual protection described in Ephesians 6:10-20 to deal with the predatory tactics of Satan.
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IS YOUR FAITH FALSE OR BONA FIDE?
As we begin the process of answering the critical question “Is your faith false or bona fide?” it is necessary to determine whether you are a woman who states that you are a Christian or a woman who is a Christian. On the surface, both parts of the statement appear to be identical. However, a closer look reveals that the first part of the statement describes a woman who desires all of the benefits of eternal life but daily chooses to embrace the philosophy of the world. Her choices, dress, and speech reveal her allegiance to it just as Peter’s speech betrayed him in the courtyard during Jesus’ trial (Matt.26:69-73). This woman embraces a false faith.
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ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU?
Holiday were always special in the Ennis household. My parents made each one meaningful, and though I relished all of the celebrations, Valentine’s Day was my favorite. I enjoyed preparing Valentines for my friends and celebrating at school. However, the highlight of the day was our family dinner. Mom always planned a special menu, set the dining room table with the best linen, crystal, china, and silverware. We all “dressed up” for the occasion. As I matured, I assisted her in the preparation and eventually assumed the responsibility as her health declined.
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IS FAITH YOUR FOCUS FOR 2021?
A recent visit to my ophthalmologist included the assessment of several lens options to allow my eyes to focus at 20/20 visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision). A combination of lenses are necessary to achieve this optimum condition—one for reading, one for viewing objects clearly at a distance, one for computer work, and finally darkened lenses that allows me to keep my eyes open in the sunlight. My new lenses work wonderfully if I place them over my eyes; they are useless when stored in their cases.
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THIS HOLIDAY SEASON ARE YOU JOYFULLY ANTICIPATING HIS COMING?
The fragrance of Thanksgiving dinner is rapidly waning and plans for Christmas are formulating in our hearts and minds. There is no sugarcoating the reality that the Christmas 2020 celebrations will differ greatly from ones we previously experienced. The year was filled with hardship and loss as COVID-19 ushered in a wave of unemployment, illness, and death. At the least, most of us suffered from disruption to daily life. Church, work, school, social life, and travel all changed literally overnight.
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IS YOUR HEART PREPARED FOR POLL PARTICIPATION?
Early voting began in my state on Tuesday, October 13. Contemplating the importance of this election I knew that I first wanted to have a prepared heart, then vote early in person. Realizing that America will change for the better only as its citizens’ hearts change, I chose to prepare my heart by meditating upon Psalm 51 before I prepared by sample ballot. Its contents compelled me to:
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WHOSE GLORY ARE YOU SEEKING?
What is your response if, after having completed an act of kindness, you are confronted with the question, “Whose glory are you seeking?” Very early in my Christian walk my mentor, Verna Birkey, taught me a motto that has consistently challenged me to examine the motive behind my acts of kindness—“I am a personal representative of the living God, on assignment to make God visible to others around me.” Daily, it is my prayer that I will “walk worthy of my calling” (Eph. 4:1-3) and will seek to bring glory to my heavenly Father (Col. 3:23-24).
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ARE YOU READY TO RETURN TO “LIFE” IN A CHANGED WORLD?
I was blessed to have a career that allowed me to begin each semester with a “clean slate”. As a university and seminary professor, most fall semesters I taught the Principles of Biblical Womanhood course. It allowed me to introduce my students to God’s special instructions to women—specifically, those found in Proverbs 31:10-31; Titus 2:3-5, and 1 Peter 2:21-3:12. Today I am reminded that Proverbs 31:10-31 is a timeless passage containing the guidelines for 21st century women to confidently return to “life” in the changed world that COVID-19 created!
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