What Is A Proverbs 31 Woman????
So, at least for me, there have been some misconceptions as to what being a Proverbs 31 woman means. I had always heard the term, but never read the passage for myself. Judging from what I heard whenever Proverbs 31 was mentioned, I thought that to be a good wife, I needed to be a quiet and genteel mouse, a shadow to my husband, and a homemaker. Well, if you know me, you know I am loud, I like to talk to anyone who will listen, I like to do things for myself, and I hate, (and I mean HATE) to vacuum, do dishes, clean, cook, etc. Just about the only 'homemakery' thing that I enjoy doing is baking, and I have been told by someone that, "you'll never attract a man with just sweets," (yes, I know homemakery is not a real word, but it's my blog and I can make up words if I want).
I have been beating myself lately about how I will never get a guy to marry me, and even if I did, I would be a lousy wife. I beat myself up even worse when a dear friend of mine got married. This dear friend is what I would consider as close to perfect a a girl could be. I got so depressed, and when my mom sat me down and asked me what was wrong, I spilled my guts about how I was feeling. She told me that if being a Proverbs 31 woman was so important to me, I should read it every day until I didn't say or do ANYTHING without thinking about it's words. So I have been, and I realized, I am not as horrible as I thought. God spoke to me the first time I read it, and basically, He broke it down pretty simply for me to understand.
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10 Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels.
'Noble character', 'intelligent', and 'virtuous' are words used in other translations. Pretty self explanatory.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good.
12 She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.
'Noble character', 'intelligent', and 'virtuous' are words used in other translations. Pretty self explanatory.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good.
12 She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.
She does not bad-mouth her husband, and she is faithful and submissive to him. AMP says, "The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of honest gain or need of dishonest spoil. She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her." Again, pretty self explanatory.
13 She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands.
She stays pretty busy, and from my understanding, she almost enjoys it.
14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants.
She makes sure everyone has a good breakfast, and plans ahead for the day's meals.
16 She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings.
17 She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong.
18 She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night.
She proves she can be self reliant. She can make good business decisions and draw a profit. She is independent, and I think this is partially so she cannot be accused of laziness or being a burden to her husband.
19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She again, stays quite busy in the house even if she is trying to run a business.
20 Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.
She serves God through serving others. Maybe by serving on a team at church, maybe she volunteers at a soup kitchen.
21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.
22 She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
She doesn't just play with her projects. She makes useful things, but she is creative and shows her imagination.
23 Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.
A woman should marry a man who also serves God through serving his community.
24 She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants.
She is a business woman, and she must have a strong will to a degree.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
She is strong in many ways, and has kept herself free of false accusations. She also has prepared herself and her family for the future (warm clothing for winter, extra grain should famine come etc.)
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue.
She thinks before she speaks, and she does not discipline her children with harsh anger.
27 She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
She keeps a close eye on her kids to make sure they stay out of trouble. And once again, she is always busy.
28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!”
She raises her sons to know what kind of a woman is a godly and suitable wife, and when they are grown, they see what an amazing woman their mother is. Her husband knows what a blessing she is. She married a man who is godly and spiritually strong.
30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
13 She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands.
She stays pretty busy, and from my understanding, she almost enjoys it.
14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants.
She makes sure everyone has a good breakfast, and plans ahead for the day's meals.
16 She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings.
17 She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong.
18 She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night.
She proves she can be self reliant. She can make good business decisions and draw a profit. She is independent, and I think this is partially so she cannot be accused of laziness or being a burden to her husband.
19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She again, stays quite busy in the house even if she is trying to run a business.
20 Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.
She serves God through serving others. Maybe by serving on a team at church, maybe she volunteers at a soup kitchen.
21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.
22 She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
She doesn't just play with her projects. She makes useful things, but she is creative and shows her imagination.
23 Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.
A woman should marry a man who also serves God through serving his community.
24 She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants.
She is a business woman, and she must have a strong will to a degree.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
She is strong in many ways, and has kept herself free of false accusations. She also has prepared herself and her family for the future (warm clothing for winter, extra grain should famine come etc.)
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue.
She thinks before she speaks, and she does not discipline her children with harsh anger.
27 She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
She keeps a close eye on her kids to make sure they stay out of trouble. And once again, she is always busy.
28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!”
She raises her sons to know what kind of a woman is a godly and suitable wife, and when they are grown, they see what an amazing woman their mother is. Her husband knows what a blessing she is. She married a man who is godly and spiritually strong.
30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
31 Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Even though she does not do what she does to be recognized and rewarded, people do see what a godly woman and hard worker she is.
So, now I know what I have to work on, but I also know that I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am! I have been ashamed of my strong will, and my talkative nature, but how could the woman of Proverbs 31 be a business-woman without being somewhat stubborn? As long as I don't direct it toward God, my parents, or my husband, I don't see it as a problem (as long as wrongs can be admitted to), and as long as I think before I speak (which is a good but hard rule to live by) being talkative can come in handy when evangelizing.
Maybe, before she got married, or when she was young, she didn't like homemakery things either. Maybe after knowing it had to be done and setting her mind to it for a certain amount of time, she softened her heart to it, or she just liked preparing her house for her husband to come home to everyday when they were first married, and it turned into a habit.
All I know is that God has opened my eyes to the fact that when we accept Christ, he doesn't want to change us. He wants to make us better. To use what He gave us at physical birth, and improve it with what He gave us at spiritual birth.
Even though she does not do what she does to be recognized and rewarded, people do see what a godly woman and hard worker she is.
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Maybe, before she got married, or when she was young, she didn't like homemakery things either. Maybe after knowing it had to be done and setting her mind to it for a certain amount of time, she softened her heart to it, or she just liked preparing her house for her husband to come home to everyday when they were first married, and it turned into a habit.
All I know is that God has opened my eyes to the fact that when we accept Christ, he doesn't want to change us. He wants to make us better. To use what He gave us at physical birth, and improve it with what He gave us at spiritual birth.
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