'An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.' {Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV}
a.k.a. The Proverbs 31 woman. Many would read this and be completely offended by the Bible's blatant domesticated label placed on women. Many Christian women come away from this passage completely discouraged because they feel they can never measure up. And others are mildly encouraged by the fact that they have achieved maybe a few of the major points. Personally, I remember a time when I was hurting so much. Devastated by the rejection of my former husband as I watched him move out and "on with his life" without me. I poured over the whole book of Proverbs just soaking in the practical wisdom. I studied this passage and quickly printed it out in a lovely font on the prettiest paper I could find. I humbly accepted that I didn't know much about being the Godly wife that I should be, but was encouraged by the fact that God had provided a helpful list of characteristics to study. It wasn't long after that time that I distinctly remember a phone call with my mentor - She has been a source of incredibly encouragement in my life and always pointed me to my identity in Christ. She quoted verse 10 during the conversation and I quickly replied that it was from Proverbs 31 and how I so so wanted to be a Proverbs 31 woman. She responded in a very matter of fact, persuasive manner: "You already are. In Christ, You are a Proverbs 31 woman." I sat in a few moments of silence, just soaking in what she said, then she asked me, "Do you believe that, Erica?" For the life of me, I cannot recall the response I gave to that question. But in light of my recent post about all the things I want to be able to do and trusting God with my ambitious heart, I think that I am beginning to believe it.
I decided to take it out of list format. These days, us lady folk have enough lists to deal with. You can see this way that this woman's faith and true desires are interwoven in the fabric of her daily life. She trusts God with her own well-being as well as that of her husband and children. "She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet" (vs 21, smack dab in the middle). I don't know about anyone else, but I see this as possibly an obscure prophetic reference to the blood of Christ. In a world where we endure pressures from all sides about living a good Christian life, being beautiful inside and out, measuring up to worldly and Christian standards alike, isn't it refreshing to see a perfectly Godly example of a woman who loves God, and lets all things in her life fall into place accordingly. No striving, no manipulation, no worries, just love and faithful diligence. God has His little way of working in the details.
