How far will you go?

Proverbs 31:14 “She is like the merchant ships bringing her food from afar.”

Where do you go to get your groceries? How far do you go to get your shopping done?

This scripture is comparing the Proverbs 31 Woman to a merchant ship. A Merchant ship is a ship that was used to bring in many different kinds of cargo to the port (bringing such things as dyes, fabrics, spices, oils, foods, and pottery). This woman is willing to go as far as she needs to for her family to make sure that she gets the best of the best. She doesn’t just walk down the street to the nearest store or the cheapest store out of convenience for herself. She is willing to go the distance because of her love and care for her family. Back in scripture times, women couldn’t get all their supplies at the same store like we do now (ex: Walmart or Target), they would have to go to many different merchants, sometimes in different towns in order to get everything for the family.

The questions I posted above are something to really think about, how far are you willing to go for your family? And it’s important to change your perspective on what grocery shopping really is, don’t tell yourself that it’s just a mundane shopping trip. Tell yourself that you are doing it to glorify God and it is your way of showing your family how much you love them.

Some other questions that I want you to consider (and ask yourself) that were given out of my study book, The Proverbs 31 Woman: One Virtue at a Time, can help to give you more insight, in order to become more like the Proverbs 31 Woman:

• If someone was describing your style of shopping how would they describe you?

If someone were to describe my shopping style I think they would say that I get in and get out when I know what I want (or have a list in hand) otherwise they would say that I like to see what there all is to offer and get the best value.

• Are you like a merchant ship? Or Are you willing to go to great heights to find the best, most cost effective and healthiest ingredients for your family?

I certainly don’t go to faraway lands to get the best of the best for myself, I usually settle for the cheapest brand, depending on my mood that is. I can sometimes justify spending a little more if it means I am going to wear it more or if I am feeding more than just myself. I think in some ways I am comparable to a merchant ship in the fact that I don’t settle for just anything, I like to get a good value in what I buy. I do not always try to get the healthiest foods out there, at my stage in life, I usually try to get what’s cheapest and best value along with something that can be made quickly, and doesn’t take a large amount of time to prepare.

• Do you work hard at your shopping?

If I am shopping for someone other than myself (friends, family, significant others, etc.) then yes I think I work hard to get something that I consider to be “perfect”. I want to get something that I consider to be fitting for the other person and something I know they will enjoy/appreciate. When in this situation I don’t settle for the cheapest or easiest find.

• Are you more into convenience foods that are fast or are you willing to cook from scratch?

I rarely cook from scratch, this is a skill I am not good at. Deep inside, I have a shy cook who is scratching at the walls to get out and try to cook from scratch more often but I rarely let her out. More often than not, I settle for something microwavable, that takes a few steps to make, or easily prepared on the stove top. This means I am not feeding myself the healthiest options. Which in turn, makes me feel like I am not doing glory to my body which God gave me…but that’s for a whole other blog post on another day.

• Do you take special care to get a good price on your goods or do you stop at the nearest corner store and just get something quick?

I do try to get a good price on the foods I buy. Every once and a while I will drive to Aldi’s to get good prices on certain grocery goods. I definitely am not a “couponer” by any means. It’s rare that I use coupons for things. But I refuse to just go to the nearest store out of convenience, I usually try to go to decent value stores.

Now ask yourself the above questions, and feel free to post your thoughts/opinions/ideas in the comment section below. I would love to hear how you all do with this. Don’t compare yourself to me (mainly because I’m sure you all are way better than me when it comes to this trait) but remember, we are all blessed with different skills and different traits. And remember this, by shopping for your family you are caring for them, you are providing for them, for their basic needs, it’s a necessary thing…not something to go half-way on. Be willing to go the distance, to take care of your family, because in the end it is God you are glorifying, and he will repay you for what’s truly on your heart.

Love Always,

Stefanie :)