She watches over the affairs of her household.
—Proverbs 31:27a

Have you ever experienced "Women's Intuition," either as a wife or mother, or perhaps as a child—wondering how your mother knew? I believe the Lord does give us special abilities to interpret what might be really going on. However, I also believe that the biggest way in which He allows us to see these things is in listening and paying attention to the people and events around us, and keeping the lines of communication open.

This is truly a gift for women. If you will notice, women are the ones who naturally watch and listen. Sometimes this is misinterpreted as being nosey, other times as being a people-watcher. I don't think this comes naturally to men, nor do they seem to understand it. On many occasions my husband has wondered why the kids told me things that they didn't share with him. All I could say was, "I asked them about it."

My daughter has a friend that I actually taught when they were in 5th grade. I used to get such a kick out of being around her. I could always tell which boy she liked after being around her for about five minutes. She was always amazed and thought I was a psychic or something. What she didn't realize (but will after reading this), is that although she considered it a secret that no one knew, she was very open and talked freely to me. All I had to do was listen and fill in the blanks.

It was pretty much the same with my daughter. Keeping the lines of communication open gave her the freedom to tell me everything that went on in her life. There were times she told me things that I thought I could have actually gone without knowing! This allowed me to watch and monitor the influences and decisions she made throughout those critical years. Open communication and trust is so important in knowing what goes on in your household.

I realize that all kids are not this open. In fact, I almost had to drag information out of my son. I found that the key to communicating with him was

• listening intently to all that he said
• showing interest in the things he chose to share
• asking questions in a non-interrogating way
• having his friends over to our house

I know this all appears to just be about raising children, but this also applies to our lives in general. If we are called to "watch over the affairs of our household," that means all of it. Listening and communicating is also important with our husbands, employers, teachers, etc. This works with all relationships.

As we go through our daily lives, let's continue to apply these natural abilities the Lord has given us as women. Let them call it "women's intuition" if they want to. I will call it "watching over the affairs of my household."

I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw. —Proverbs 24:32

Another way to get your children to open up is working or doing activities together. Below is a recipe that you can get your children to help you prepare. Be sure to get them talking as you work.

Quick & Easy Shortbread Cookies
Taken from A Woman of Noble Character

1-1/8 cup butter or margarine
5/8 cup sugar
2-¼ cup of sifted flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla
powdered sugar for dusting

Mix all ingredients well and roll into small balls. Flatten with fingers onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. As soon as you take them out, sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

Copyright © by Susan Sikes