??She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.?? — Proverbs 31:13

As women of God, we are called to serve God and others. The ??others?? vary by our situation. They can be: husbands, children, parents, siblings, relatives, friends, etc. No matter whom it is we are serving we are asked to accept the work God has assigned us.

In Biblical times, wool and flax were significant because all clothing was made from either wool or flax. Flax is woven together to make linen. Wool was woven to make outer garments. Those people that were clothed in linen were deemed suitable to be in the presence of God.

Wool and flax are raw materials that must be woven together to make something beautiful on the inside and the outside. Women are called to work with their hands to create something from nothing. Functionally, women are designed to create a life by piecing together two raw materials to make a life. On a basic level, we are asked to fulfill the roles of women in biblical times and choose what is best for ourselves and our loved ones to make them presentable to God each and everyday. We are called to dress our loved ones spiritually and physically both internally and externally.

Women are called to prepare hearts and minds to be present in the Lord by our example. We are asked to pray with our loved ones and pray for our loved ones. Women must teach others to fear God but, to know God??s unending love for us. It is not enough to simply teach others and pray with others. These seemingly invisible acts are our spiritual flax. Attending church, living the faith, and enjoying the company of other Christians is our spiritual wool. Together our flax and wool make us presentable to God.

In a more practical sense, flax typically was grown on the grounds of a woman??s home therefore, she set out to select what her property had yielded. Today, women are often in a position to select the foods that a family consumes and the garments a family will wear. We can choose food and clothing that is made using humane practices and fair trade. We must choose the best food, the purest foods to place on the table before our family. We make sure our children are drinking out of BPA free cups and they aren??t consuming unnecessary chemicals. Many of us strive to make food from scratch to ensure that our loved ones are consuming the best. We may not be weaving our clothes but we are selecting the clothing for our loved ones and ourselves that glorify God.

Interestingly, we are called to do this difficult work each day with eager hands. It is not always easy to fulfill our role as women of God with zest and joy. The use of the word ??eager?? is curious because in other translations they use word ??willing??. Eager indicates a certain level of excitement however; willing indicates that she receives the work because it is the will of God. It does not indicate the same level of excitement for the tasks laid before her. On a daily basis, we should strive to fulfill the role that God has set before us with joy, happiness, and love. The love of God should be our motivation to complete seemingly difficult and sometimes thankless tasks. Our reward will be found in heaven.

Liz is a Catholic wife and mother to a little boy. Her family resides in New York. She enjoys cooking, crafting, and quality time with her family. She blogs about their life together at Tales From Astoria.