Day 8 (17) She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
Audrey Hepburn
Proverbs 31:17 "She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."
I take this command very seriously. Exercising both indoors and out have saved me physically and mentally. When my body and mind are fit, my soul is strong. When I become lax in this area, my whole family suffers.
I'm a little slow getting this up. However, I hope you'll still join me in strengthening arms and body.
You are encouraged to begin or continue a regular exercise program. Hopefully, you will be inspired to attempt the Physical Fitness Award Program with your family from the Family Home Evening Resource Book. If you can’t get everyone in the family into it, at least go for the award yourself. Print out the chart and cross off the days. As you accrue marks, your weight will normalize and your strength will increase. Healthy and fitness are your rewards. Using The Firmworkouts, you can claim 2 points per workout. Walking 2 miles quickly counts for 1 point. Don't forget to drink plenty of water, eat a healthy diet with plenty of whole grains, legumes, fruits, and veggies, and get enough sleep every night.
"There is no question that the health of the body affects the spirit, or the Lord would never have revealed the Word of Wisdom. God has never given any temporal commandments—that which affects our bodies also affects our souls. There are at least four basic areas which make a difference in our health—in our growing in stature.
First—righteousness. Sin debilitates. It affects not only the soul, but the body. The scriptures are replete with examples of the physical power that can attend the righteous. On the other hand, unrepented sin can diffuse energy and lead to both mental and physical sickness. Disease, fevers, and unexpected deaths are some of the consequences directly related to disobedience. Jesus healed a man of a physical malady and then told him to “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (John 5:14.) Sir Galahad claimed that his strength was as the strength of ten because his heart was pure.
Second—food. To a great extent, we are physically what we eat. Most of us are acquainted with some of the prohibitions of the Word of Wisdom, such as no tea, coffee, tobacco, or alcohol. But what needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects—the need forvegetables, fruits, and grain, particularly wheat. We need a generation of people who eat in a healthier manner.
Third—exercise. The body needs the rejuvenation that comes from exercise. Walking in the fresh air can be exhilarating and refreshing. Properly directed, running can also have some beneficial effects. Simple sit-ups or sporting activities can also be helpful.
Fourth—sleep. Adequate early rest is best. The Lord states that we should “cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.” (D&C 88:124.) Early to bed and early to rise is still good counsel." Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, September 1988
I never dreamed I could learn so much about clothing from Proverbs 31. However, as I was studying for this verse, I noticed something very interesting. To “gird” your loins means to wrap something tightly around you, usually so that you can move your legs and get moving.
How to gird your loins:
Girding your loins is something you would find people doing a couple of thousand years ago in Near East Asia and around the Mediterranean just before they attempted anything strenuous and physical such as going into battle. The floor length robes would quite likely get in the way so they would need to be tucked out of the way.
This was accomplished by pulling up the fabric of the knee-length tunic so the length in front stopped at your upper thigh, and collecting the excess material in your front. (You pull the material forward so the back of your tunic is snug against your backside.) Next, you tuck the extra front material down between your legs and gather it behind you. At this point, you collect half of the material behind you evenly on each side of your back (left and right). The final step involves wrapping each side of the material around your waist and tying it together in front.
This gets you ready for battle and the robes are neatly tucked out of the way.
It makes sense from this that the phrase has now come to mean getting yourself prepared for some trial to come.
So there you go.
Now if ever you need to gird your loins you’ll know how it’s done.
An Indian woman who has "girt her loins" for work
As you can see from the woman in this photo, she’s got an awful lot to carry. She’s got no hands left to hold all her skirts, so she just tucks her skirts up into her belt and takes off on her way. Here in America, we’d just trade in the skirts for a soft pair of blue jeans, so we could get our work done with nothing in the way.
In the Bible, the phrase, to gird up the loins, is used for people who want to get serious about something.
- In 2 Kings 4:29 and 2 Kings 9:1, a man girded up his middle eastern robes around his belt so he could walk quickly. In Jeremiah 1:17, a man girded up his loins so he could stand up.
- In fact, it seems that men were generally more likely to gird up their loins. In Job 38:3 and 40:7, God tells Job to gird up his loins like a man, meaning, “Job, be responsible! Be a man!” So this is a very masculine phrase, yet here it is, in the epitome of feminine qualities of the woman of Proverbs 31.
Like the woman in our photo, there are many days when we wives and moms just have too much to carry, too much to do, and too many stresses. Our Proverbs 31 woman wrapped strength around her so that she could get her jobs done.
What was the source of her strength?
- God Himself is wrapped in strength. “The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved” (Psalm 93:1).
- God makes our arms strong. “His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24). (See also Hosea 7:15.)
- Strength comes through faith in His name. “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16).
However, I have to come to a point of weakness, where I see myself as I really am, before I can receive His strength.
- “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).
- “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
What happens is that we stagger along in unbelief (Romans 4:20), collapsing under the load of living, burdened down with too many cares, when Jesus comes and offers to be our strength for us. We must admit our weakness, confessing our sin to Him, and ask Him to reside within us, giving us His strength.
- “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).
- “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).
How do we put on His strength rather than our own? Through obedience & praise ( Gratitude)!
- “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20).
- “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3,an excellent Psalm to study!).
- “Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power” (Psalm 21:13).
When we praise God for what He has done for us in the past, He wraps His strength around us.
Through our praise (which is often a difficult choice in difficult circumstances), we have the ability to
- Have strength beyond our capabilities. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
- Have a strong mind. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).
- Overcome the evil one with the Word of God. “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14).
- Lift up weak ones around us. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1).
In closing, let me remind you of the time that Nehemiah brought God’s Word to the people and it literally changed their lives. God’s Word always does this, if we’ll let it! We hear His Word and obey it, it washes away our sin, filling our hearts with praise and joy. This is the strength with which we need to “gird up our loins” and “strengthen our arms.”“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them”
Strengthening the arms:
below are some exercises for strengthening our arm muscles.
Arm Raises: Standing with good posture, using light hand weight (1 to 1.5 lb). This will protect the rotator cuff and boost your upper body strength:
- 1st set of 10
- Raise right arm away from your side until parallel to the floor (2 counts).
- Lower (2 counts)
- 2nd set of 10
- Raise right arm in front of you, away from the body, until parallel to the floor (2 counts).
- Lower (2 counts)
- 3rd set of 10
- Raise left arm away from your side until parallel to the floor (2 counts).
- Lower (2 counts)
- 4th set of 10
- Raise left arm in front of you, away from the body, until parallel to the floor (2 counts).
- Lower (2 counts)
Arm Curls: Standing with good posture, using light hand weight (1 to 1.5 lb). This exercise will increase forearm, bicep, and wrist strength:
- 1st set of 10
- Holding weights in each hand, start with your arms at your side, elbows tucked in, palm forward.
- Slowly curl your fist up toward your shoulder (2 counts)
- Lower
- 2nd set of 10
- Holding weights in each hand, start with your arms at your side, elbows tucked in, palm forward.
- Slowly curl your fist up 1/2 way up toward your shoulder (1 count)
- Press elbows out in front of you (1 count)
- Return elbows to starting position (1 count)
- 3rd set of 10
- Holding weights in each hand, start with your arms at your side, elbows tucked in, palm forward.
- Swivel forearms out, elbows still tucked in.
- Slowly curl your fist up toward your shoulder (2 counts)
- Lower
- 4th set of 10
- Holding weights in each hand, start with your arms at your side, elbows tucked in, palm forward.
- Swivel forearms out, elbows still tucked in.
- Slowly curl your fist up 1/2 way up toward your shoulder (1 count)
- Press elbows out to the side (1 count)
- Return elbows to starting position (1 count)
Tricep Presses: These exercises tone the back of your arms.
Lie flat on your back with shoulder to elbow on the floor and elbow to hand straight up (90 degree angle) holding a light hand weight (1 to 1.5 lb) with wrists facing in toward your body:
- 1 set of 10
- Lift straight up, keeping your elbows as close as you can to your body (2 counts).
- Lower (2 counts)
Stand up straight with good posture, using a light hand weight (1 to 1.5 lb). Hold a light hand weight in both hands behind your head:
- 1 set of 10
- Extend your arms up overhead keeping your elbows close to your ears (2 counts).
- Lower (2 counts)
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