"The Time to Come" ~ Proverbs 31 Preparedness Series

"Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come."

~ Proverbs 31:25

To begin with, our family is not what you would call "preppers" but we do believe in being prepared. Not only is prudence spoken of many times in the Proverbs, but there are many other verses which support preparedness in general. As the days of His coming is getting closer, so will the calamities written of such as wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence and so forth.  As these birth pains occur, we may begin to experience more and more of these signs. As depressing as that thought is, it can be alleviated with some prudent preparations (and always prayer!). Here is where a Proverbs 31 woman might act in advance to protect her household. As keeper of the home, we are to consider our current needs as well as potential future needs. As the guard of our homes, we need to protect it from possible calamities within the boundaries of common sense. This is not a post about panic and fear but wisdom and foresight.

I love what one author from the Back to Basics Living Bundle wrote about preparedness:

"Being prepared is a mixture of skills, knowledge, self-sufficiency, and good old-fashioned work... The pioneers and original homesteaders never referred to themselves as preppers, but they were both. I've heard it said (I don't know the original source) that not all preppers are homesteaders, but all homesteaders are preppers. And I have to say I agree with that..."

~ 30 Days to Preparedness ~ Old Fashioned Skills to Increase Self-Sufficiency by Melissa K. Norris 

And I would like to add that (to me) a homestead is any home where the occupants produce goods on their own which creates their own domestic economy! You don't need lots of land, but a cultivating spirit to prepare for those "rainy days". Perhaps it is a stocked pantry, a thriving garden, knowledge of the old ways and the list goes on.

Many translations (ESV, NIV) of the Virtuous Woman share her as "laughing at the time to come". It seems like an odd verse. What time to come? To me it can mean the future. She has obviously invested her energy into her home. She has made warm garments for her household for those frigid winter days, she has packed her pantry and she has planted her fields (this can be a garden). These are all practical and doable measures of preparedness that we can achieve in our homes. After all, it has been done by our ancestors for years!

"It has occurred to me that I am only doing what every housewife did as a matter of course only a generation or two ago. She always preserved food for the coming year as it came into season and bulk-purchased staples such as sugar and vinegar. Our grandmothers did this not because they were paranoid, isolated survivalists, but rather because they had learned from experience that blizzards, crop failures, and epidemics happened. The prudent, prepared household prevailed. Others did not.

As the winter storms howl outside my window and the political, economic, and ecological news goes from bad to worse, I sleep well, knowing I can care for my family during times of plenty and times of want."

~ Just in Case: How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens

by Kathy Harrison

While we do not have the extra income to invest in buckets of freeze-dried foods, fancy food storage supplies and other helpful "prepper" materials, we are trying to accumulate at least a month's worth of provisions in case an emergency occurs. I would also like to be prepared with back-up systems for my household (i.e., cooking without gas, washing without electricity and so forth) and have other plans worked out in the case of the unexpected. What I will be doing will be general household preparedness that won't dip deeply into the pocketbook while still being a blessing in a time of need. There will also be some basic pantry building. We would love to share this with you in a series (probably a once a month "project" with pertaining printables).

This new series will share simple and practical ways we are preparing in case that "rainy day" ever does happen. The worse case is that we will have extra groceries, etc., in case our income is decreased in any way and our children will be learning along side us valuable lessons that can benefit their futures.

To begin, here is a printable cover page for this homemaking endeavor. I will be placing much of my information in a binder specifically for "the time to come". In the meantime, here are the preparedness articles we have shared thus far to get you inspired to start a Proverbs 31 Preparedness Binder: 

• Prepare Your Own Pantry Series
• Versatility, Reclaiming Space and Basic Pantry Building
• Our Pantry Rotation Strategy and Food Storage Tips
• A Call to Common Sense 
• Home-Made Meals Strictly from the Pantry
• How to Store, Sanitize & Use Water for Emergencies
• Women in the Ark ~ A Lesson in Prayer and Preparedness
• Some "Food" Storage for Thought ~ Pantry Preparedness
• 10 Reasons to Prepare a Pantry
• Buying in Bulk ~ Shelf Life Basics
• Frugal Living and Self-Sufficiency Skills ~ Printable Checklist
• Outdoor Wood-Fire Cooking Inspiration
• 5 Reasons to Store Frozen Water Bottles in Your Freezer
• Shelf Life of Canned Goods ~ Think Before You Throw Out
• Egg Substitutions ~ Free Printable List
• Sugar ~ Foods with No Expiration Date ~ Pantry Builder #1
• Raw Honey ~ Foods with No Expiration Date ~ Pantry Builder #2
• Alternative Lighting Options
• Power Outages, Generator Safety and Carbon Monoxide Awareness
• Medical Preparedness
• Abigail's Pantry ~ A Lesson in Opportunity, Pantry and Preparedness

The world of preparedness can be very overwhelming! To simplify it for myself, I will be using this very practical book as my outline (I am gleaning what is doable for a busy homemaking, homeschooling and homesteading mother):

Just in Case ~ How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison

Once again, this will not be a "hard-core" preparedness program but a sensible guide for the thoughtful homemaker on a budget. There are many "ordinary" homemakers like ourselves who feel this importance and are sharing their ideas and experiences that you may also appreciate such as Annabel at The Bluebirds are Nesting and Patsy at A Working Pantry. I also glean much from the Preparedness Mama (though her blog is solely preparedness tips). Being that this is the latest project in our household, I thought to share our journey too. I hope you will join us!

Your homework for the month:

• Print out the cover page we shared (if you like) and place it inside the cover of an empty binder. You now have started your preparedness binder! (That is an easy start isn't it?)

Extra Credit:

• Gather up some books on the subject and start reading! I would love for you to share your ideas along the way as we tackle different Proverbs 31 preparedness subjects!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).