Caryn Winclechter (CarynW_Photos) on Twitter

Dearest fellow readers,

I am so happy to report that Caryn Winclechter Photography now has a new and delightful Twitter account! It is there that I will be giving twitter updates on seasonal specials on photo sessions, new projects I'm involved with, and giving a heads up on all the latest events!

Thank you so much for your comments and feedback!

Please be sure to give me a follow, and show some love! Tell your friends and retweet me!

Love,

24. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchant with sashes.

A crown for our thoughts.

I've been getting into gardening lately.  Not just as a phase I"m going through, no; it is almost as if I have opened up Pandora's box and become addicted to the treasure I've found inside.  And now, for me, there is no going back to life without tilling.  I grew up with a green thumb for a father, and I never really  had an interest in gardening, especially not in high school.  Yes I really enjoyed eating fresh artichokes and watermelon from our backyard, but I never really appreciated all the hard work and thoughtful care that went into making things grow.  As my dad likes to say, gardening is a way in which we can closely examine the everyday miracles of God's creation.

Working with my hands is really helping me to better understand Proverbs 31:24.  This virtuous biblical ideal of our maiden paints an even more interesting picture of her when we learn about her merchant skills.  Indeed she is self-sufficient with her homemaking and shrewd investing, but now we understand that she takes it a step further by being involved in the local commerce.  The work of her hands produces fruit for both domestic necessity and trade&marketing.  Not only does she manage her family finances, but she also contributes to their income by fortifying the supply and demand.  The way this lady conducts herself, at least to me, is reminiscent of someone born into nobility.  I'm amazed at her unfailing devotion to the details of everyday monotony.
I was reading in a commentary that the merchants she sells to were the Phoenician merchants, these people were renowned for their skills at seafaring as well as their well-rounded merchant skills.  This fact suggests that her merchandise was recognized not only by the local economy, but possibly even on a national or international level as well.  This lady is sharp!

This virtue makes me think of the up-and-coming Royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton (and yes, I'll be tuning in at 2 am to enamour every detail).  This princess-to-be, Kate, is signing up for more than looking pretty in public.  No matter how much we all want to romanticize the idea of her becoming a princess, she will have to be much more than that.  She will fulfill the role of representing an entire continent's worth of nationalities.  She will be a key player in the international diplomacy of the UN.  Her marriage to the prince, while brimming with love and romance, has a very political place in the palace walls.  She has won the contest and the crown, and has been hand-selected (complete with a giant sapphire ring) to represent her kindgom to the world.  Talk about the weight of the world on your shoulders!  Not only is she going to have to make a name for herself in the line of royal lineage, but all while remaining fully composed under the scrutiny of constantly being compared to her predecessor, Princess Diana, the world's own sweetheart who seemed to better everything around her.  Oh Kate, it's tough being a woman in another woman's shadow.  So far though, she seems up for the challenge.

And that makes me ask myself, am I up for that challenge as well?  It just so happens that the history of man has named William and Kate as prince and princess.  But it is important to remember that being heirs and heiresses to the kingdom of God makes us "commoners" royalty on an even bigger scale!  Am I living as a true princess?  Am I bettering everything around me, and representing my King with grace and responsibility?  Am I honoring my prince?  Are my hands cultivating my environment like a well-watered garden?  Am I contributing to the financial well-being of my home and community?

I know I'm nowhere near where I should be, and by the grace of God I am given new chances everyday to keep running toward the goal.  There is always room for improvement, and a princess can never be too good at her job.  So ladies, my prayer for you is that you'll take your roles and run with them.  You're royalty, a precious daughter of the Most High God, and He has chosen you to represent his Kingdom to the entire world, starting with those in your current surroundings.  I pray for all of us to keep running the race, praising our King in public, and bettering the lives of those around us.  Please pray for the determination that will enable me to do the same.

Love,
Caryn

23. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, 

but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones."

Proverbs 12:4

I have put off writing about Proverbs 31:23 because I struggled with it.  Not in the sense that I don't feel that it describes my husband, but I honestly was trying to see how the Lord was using it in my life.  And then I realized that what it tells us is that a wife can greatly influence the success and prosperity of her husband.  Ladies, we have an important role here, and we can aid in the success of our mates, as well as our marriage.

I love the verse in Proverbs 12:4, which describes the noble wife as her husband's crown.  When I think of a crown, I think of a symbol of royalty and nobility.  A crown non-verbally defines a status; a wife can, without using her words, be a reflection of her husband's character to others by her very presence.  She can be the confidence booster he needs every morning!  She can help him re-charge his batteries after a tough day at work, but she can also drain him like decay in his bones.  

 My husband wakes up every weekday morning at 4:30 am.  He is not a morning person by nature at all, and he needs lots of coffee to make it til sunrise.  Since he interned at his current place of work last year, I have woken up with him most every morning.  He drags so much because it is difficult for him to wake up, so I pack his breakfast and lunch.  It is also the time that God has provided for us to read scripture and pray together before he leaves.  Now, I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I know that this blesses my husband and that is why I do it.  It just so happens I am a morning person and so I'm fully functioning the minute I hop out of bed.  

While in a roundabout way it would seem ridiculous if I don't actually HAVE to get up, I realize at the same time that marriage is about serving each other.  It is not always an easy thing to do, but to know that this is an investment that is long-term will make it worth the little contributions every day.  Plus I love him, so I don't mind making him look good in front of others.  In little ways God already shows me that people notice our relationship (and trust me I am not a fan of attention).  I only hope that that can lead to great friendships and being a fruitful witness. 

I am a big believer in the phrase, "Actions speak louder than words."   I absolutely feel that what we do for others says so much more than what we say we will do for them.  That is a crucial characteristic for a follower of Jesus.  Quite often our words are repellent for non-believers.  We think that because we can argue with someone over world-views that we are being effective witnesses, when the reality is that we could be showing these people that we love them with our actions, portraying the forbearance and humility of Christ.  

And with our spouses, God is giving us the perfect situation to practice this attitude makeover; in our very own homes. 

I am praying for all wives who are struggling with this for any reason, that they serve their husbands and support him in public, that way they are fulfilling their roles and obeying the Lord.  It is my hope that it will help us see the bigger picture.  It is a brand new year, so let us revolutionize the modern marriage!  Let us be the light that shines, the salt that enhances the flavor of life.

In Him,

Caryn