So What Do You Think Of Hard Work? // A Devotion for Young Ladies

Time for another exclusive devotion, ladies, lol! Hope you enjoy!

Did you know that being feminine and working hard went hand in hand? Sometimes we get so caught up in what we think is feminine that we forget that working hard is a vital part of what God expects us to be!

Let’s take a look at 9 young ladies (3 examples) of the Biblical portrayal of hardworking women.

Genesis 24:14-15, 20 // 14And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 15And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 20And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

Eleazar was looking for a wife for his master’s son and while he doubtless wanted a lady who was pleasant to look at and be around, he was looking for a hard worker. Someone eager to serve. And Rebekah didn’t disappoint.

Just so you know, Rebekah was offering to draw upwards to 300 gallons of water, y’all! Now that is hard work. Plus, camels slobber and make a lot of…unpleasant noise. So yeah, she wasn’t volunteering to do something fun here.

Ruth 2:5-7 // Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

I never really thought about it until now, but Ruth caught Boaz’s attention because she was working hard to feed herself and her widowed mother-in-law. What if she had begged the government for handouts or forced Naomi to go to work? She might never had met Boaz and I seriously doubt he would have wanted her for his wife.

Exodus 2:16 // Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

Sheep may see sweet, but they can be a handful sometimes. Add drawing enough water for them (it took 7 girls to watch them, so I assume there were a bunch!) and that’s exhausting work. One would later go on to be Moses Wife.

Moral of the story? Never underestimate the value of hard work. God has given us work for a reason and who knows, maybe God will do as He did with these ladies and let your hard work lead Mr. Right to you!

Now, don’t make that your reason for working hard. God has a time and place for everything and He can see your thoughts and motives. There is nothing you can do to speed up His timetable. But by not doing your Christian duty, you can slow it down! God does not reward Laziness. He rewards the faithful steward.

To Quote Mrs. Sheryl Ross: A lazy woman is a curse to any man. She is a shameful example to her daughters, and a hindrance to the work of God. Behind the scenes in every successful ministry is a small army of ladies with willing hearts and working hands. This has always been true…If you do not develop as part of your character a stellar work ethic, do not claim to be a lady.

You do not have to sacrifice modesty or femininity to work hard. If there is a job that needs to be done that would require you to dress immodestly or to cross-dress, then that is not your job—it is man’s work. However, having lived in the country on a small farm these many years, let me testify to the fact that MOST jobs can be done by a lady, while still being a lady. Never use femininity as an excuse for laziness.

From The Twenty-One Tenets of Biblical Femininity by Jerry and Sheryl Ross. All rights Reserved, Used by Permission.

I hope you enjoyed today's post! Have a blessed week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22