In the past when I read about the Proverbs 31 Woman, I
would get discouraged. After going down
the list of all that she did, I became exhausted too! I would read it and wonder how many cups of
coffee she downed before her kids woke up.
This woman began her day preparing breakfast for her family before dawn!
Let me repeat, before dawn. The only thing I like doing before dawn is
pulling the covers up to my chin and rolling over. Then as you read on in this
passage, our Proverbs 31 Woman spends the rest of her day as a seamstress,
farmer, real estate agent, property manager, adviser, not to mention wife and
mother too. Phew!
I think so many of us ladies read about the Proverbs 31
Woman and feel the same way. We get
discouraged because we don’t live up to her.
We become envious because she is doing so many things that are big and
exciting. I don’t see any passage where
it mentions how many times she asked her kids to make their beds or how many
times she effortlessly refilled a sippy cup. No, this woman is out buying a
field, planting a vineyard, even making her own bedspread! A wonder woman doing BIG THINGS!
But really, when you dig down a bit deeper, we discover she’s
loving, kind, hardworking, energetic, and resourceful. That doesn’t sound discouraging
does it? When you take a closer look, past the actual activities and see the
qualities that produced her actions, it is inspiring! And then I realized, I do not need to be
making my own bedspread (bless) or planting my own vineyard (I can barely keep
up on weeding my garden boxes). No, I
needed to see the bigger picture of
who the Proverbs 31 Woman really is…
First of all, she is a picture of the qualities that make up
a faithful, compassionate, purposeful woman of God. She is inspiring to married and single women
alike. Also, it should be noted that
this section of Scripture is not just for the ladies, guys can learn from it
too! The Proverbs 31 Woman is a good
model of what single, godly fellas should be looking for in a mate. (“A
wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”
Proverbs 31:10 NIV) So let’s dig in
and break down what makes this woman so special…
The Proverbs 31 Woman is trustworthy, kind, and loving
towards her family. Her husband can
trust her and she is always looking for ways to bless him (vs. 11-12). She
makes sure her family is prepared for the day ahead (vs. 15). This inspires me to make sure I send my
family out the door each day with some fuel in their tanks and a travel mug of
hot coffee for the husband. (Listen, I am not up when the rooster crows but I
do get up a few minutes earlier than my gang.
It takes a couple minutes to toast up some bread! LOL!). Also I don’t want to send my gang out grumpy,
downtrodden, or crying but in good spirits, ready for the day. And believe me, I have had a kid walk out the
door with tears in her eyes more than once.
I don’t know anyone who wants to start their day that way! So I am working in this area, with the grace of God, to extend grace to my
family at 7:49 in the morning when we are in crunch time.
Next we see that the Proverbs 31 Woman is resourceful,
hard-working, and strong. This woman is out
there, each day working hard, making wise decisions, and eager to complete the
tasks at hand (vs. 13, 17, 18, 27). Now
for those of you who work full or part time jobs, this could mean doing your
job to the best of your ability, remembering that the work you do is for the
Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23).
The Proverbs 31 Woman didn’t have the blues Sunday evening about having
to go to work early on Monday morning.
Nope, she was out there, getting the job done (vs. 17)!
The same is true for those of us ladies who stay at
home. The Proverbs 31 Woman wasn’t
lamenting the piles of laundry she may have faced that day, or wondering how
many more toys she could cram into the closet without an avalanche taking her
out. (Oh wait, that is me!) I need to remember the energy and strength she modeled
when I am feeling overwhelmed and flat out tired at the thought of folding up
another basket of clothes. I need to
give myself the same advice I gave earlier, remembering that what I do around
the house, I need to do it as if I were doing it for the Lord and not my
family. It seriously changes the way you
look at everything you do! Would I put Jesus’s clothes away neatly in His
dresser or just leave them in a heap on top for
Him to put away? See, it makes a difference
; )
Another quality of the Proverbs 31 Woman is compassion. Not only does she help the poor and needy,
but she loves them. “She opens her arms to the poor and extends
her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20 (NIV) It’s a wonderful thing to give
your time, efforts, and resources to the poor.
It is a beautiful act to show the love of Jesus to those in need. And sometimes, it may not be a “financial”
need but a need for love, encouragement, or a need to have someone to just
listen and to pray with you.
What else can we learn from the Proverbs 31 Woman? Well, she
is thoughtful with her words (vs. 26).
When she speaks, it is with wisdom.
When she gives instruction, it is with kindness. She’s not barking orders or yelling. You guys, I’m still needing God’s help with
this too. I don’t know about you but if
I have to repeat the same request to my kids more than twice, I get
frustrated. Or when I am trying to work
through a teachable moment, trying to instill in them a Biblical lesson, and
then someone burps (or worse, c’mon,
you know what I mean!) I get discouraged. Then the kids chuckle and all
seriousness is lost. It kind of makes
you lose the idea of kindness for a moment.
Am I right? I’m thankful that God
is not done working on me and showing me how to handle these moments better,
with kindness, grace, and yes, humor too.
So what is the end result for our Proverbs 31 Woman? What is the great reward for her life lived
with faith and purpose? Well let’s see… Her husband and children praise and bless her! “Many women do noble things, but you surpass
them all.” Proverbs 31:29 (NIV) I’m not too sure about you but I would
consider it a high honor for my family to say that about me. Being considered a “noble woman” would be
quite the compliment! But that’s not all, the accolades keep on coming for our
Proverbs 31 Woman as this section of Scripture wraps up… “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the
Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her
works bring her praise at the city gate.” Proverbs 31:30-31 (NIV)
Sounds like pretty good stuff to me! But how about you? Are you still feeling like you are not enough when
compared to the Proverbs 31 Woman? Feel
like you don’t even come close? Well, I have good news for you – that’s ok! The
Proverbs 31 Woman is our inspiration. We are focusing on her qualities and not the
handmade bedspreads, business savvy, or pre-dawn meal prep. We are zeroing in on her life that was lived
purposefully and faithfully.
Let’s not forget too, that God’s it is grace that covers us.
With Jesus, we are enough! It’s by God’s
love and mercy and strength that we can go through our days, relying on Him
when we miss the mark. Because we will,
at one time or another. I’m so
encouraged when I remember that when we mess up, when we have fallen short,
Jesus is there. He fills in the gaps and
fills us with His love and power! Ladies, don’t be discouraged by that Proverbs
31 Woman, be inspired!
"But he said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore I will boast all
the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2
Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Post by: Marcy Gates
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