Proverbs 31? A working woman bringing in an income? Aren’t women supposed to just cook and clean?

Dear Sisters,
The Proverbs 31 woman had an income that she generated herself. We can tell that by this verse:
" She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard." Proverbs 31:16
>From her profits. She is producing profits. She is producing an income. But I want you to notice where she is producing that income: in her home. In other words, she is not the merchant, she supplies the merchant. This is also seen in these next two verses:
"She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for merchants." Proverbs 31:24
"She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night." Proverbs 31:18
She has merchandise that she is making and it is in demand, for her work is quality work. This woman is doing her best for the LORD. She is making linen garments and selling them. Her lamp not going out at night signifies two things. She kept it lit to show that she had something to sell, therefore the buyer could stop at her home and make his or her purchase. The second thing it signified was that she had a part in keeping the oil flowing in her home to make sure the lamps were always lit. This was as important as making sure we have light in our own homes. Her income helped build up her home.
I remember when a young woman wrote to me about her job as a tupperware dealer. She was struggling because her husband wanted her home at night, yet they needed the extra money she was bringing in. She was struggling, too, because there was a lot involved in this job which strained her time and energy. I understood the problem immediately: she was a merchant.
Can I talk to you again as I would my own dear daughter? I will tell you what I shared with this young woman. If you study the Proverbs 31 woman, you will learn that she generated her income from within her home. Within her home. Selling something that requires us to leave our homes puts us into the "merchant status." This is very difficult for a homemaker to do. However, if you find something that you can do within your home and "supply the merchants" with it, you will find it so much more peaceful. And then that income that is generated can be put back into the building up of your home.
I remember when I made pies for my father's restaurant. At the time I was single. But this is something that I can do in my home. It is something that I can supply the merchants (which was my father at the time) with. The shopping can be done with my children by my side. I can control the amount of pies going out. The baking can be done with my children by my side, just as the Proverbs 31 woman probably had her children by her side when this verse was penned:
"She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle." Proverbs 31:19
Children can learn so much from watching their mothers work. Have you ever asked the LORD to bless your hands and make them skillful and successful for Him in your home? He can do amazing things with your hands if you ask Him and believe His Word. You were created in His Image and have hands that create like your Father's Hands. The blessedness of work is creating something we enjoy so much, just as our Father did when the angels sang with joy while He created this earth.
What if your husband is insistent that you work outside the home? Pray and ask the LORD to show you how to generate as much income as you are now making--at home. I know it will not be easy, but perhaps it is something you really enjoy doing and never realized was marketable.
I know a woman who sells her homemade soap from her home. She loves making soap. And another who sells her homemade bread. I know a woman who loves to sew and does this from her home for others. Some women give piano lessons. Some women tutor children in reading or math. Some women grow gourmet vegetables for restaurants. I remember buying our wedding cake from a woman who made it in her home. And our flowers were also done from a woman who worked from her home. We went and picked them up the morning of the wedding. These women did their work in their homes and delivered from their homes as the Proverbs 31 woman did. In other words, people came to them for the work that they did. They did not take themselves out of the home to do the work elsewhere. Their work was done in their home. They sold it from their home or gave it to "the merchants" to sell. So much more peaceful that way.
But, of course, the LORD knows what is best. He always knows what is best! I study this Proverbs 31 passage weekly, for this is my job. There are so many treasures in these verses that tell me how to better run my home. So when I am asked to do something to bring more money into our home, my first thought will be, "Is this requiring me to supply the merchants or to be a merchant?"
Love,
Laine