Written by Lauren Oquist
11/27/2017
____________________________________________________________________________________
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)
|
|
When I accepted a position working for Proverbs 31 Ministries, I felt like a hypocrite.
In no way did I consider myself a “Proverbs 31 Woman.”
For
the majority of my life, this “Wife of Noble Character” was an
old-fashioned concept. To me, it was an impossible standard. A portion
of Scripture I didn’t care to read, much less apply.
Even if I tried, how could I measure up?
Not just how she wakes up before the sun rises, makes her own clothes
and doesn’t eat carbs (if you count “the bread of idleness”). She’s
married. Taking care of her kids. Running a household.
“A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in
her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the
days of her life” (Proverbs 31:10-12, NIV).
And here I am, a single 20-something, living in an apartment. I don’t even have a boyfriend, much less a husband and kids.
Does that mean I’m disqualified from this lofty standard of womanhood?
Maybe you’re single, too. Or married, and you still feel like you can’t measure up.
It’s easy to believe we can only become our best selves once we have our lives “together.”
For
some of us, it’s getting married. For others, it’s having a house with a
well-behaved family and a chocolate lab who never has accidents in the
house. We may know in our mind a husband and kids don’t complete us, but
our heart tells a different story.
However, if you read Proverbs 31 closely, none of the skills she has depend on her husband or kids. She has these skills because she exercises wisdom in everything she does.
The standards for a “virtuous wife” are the same standards for a virtuous woman — single or married. Here are a few character traits we see in Proverbs 31:10-31:
It’s still overwhelming to look at this list. I don’t know if there’s one thing here I can say with confidence I’ve mastered.
But
one of the most important things to remember is it’s not a prescription
for us to fulfill, but a testimony of how God shapes us into His image.
Not one woman in the Bible was perfect: Rahab and Mary Magdalene were
prostitutes, Ruth was a widow from a pagan nation, the woman at the well
was divorced five times, Mary was too young, Elizabeth was too old …
So what did they all have in common?
Proverbs 31:30 says: “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
In Proverbs 1:7a, we find a similar declaration, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (NIV).
To
fear the Lord is to feel the weight of His holiness as you love and
obey Him. Think of the fear a child has of disappointing her parent —
not because she’s scared of getting punished, but because she doesn’t
want to displease someone she loves and respects.
This is what will
characterize us as a “Proverbs 31 Woman”: our fear of the Lord. Our
genuine desire, from the core of who we are, to please Him.
If I listed every character
trait I aspire to have, I’d wind up with pages and pages. But without
the fear of the Lord, none of these aspirations amount to anything. Why?
Because every good thing in my life will be a direct result of my relationship with God.
Proverbs
31 is not a job description for women, nor is it a shopping list for
men. It’s an example of the abundance God gives us over time as we grow
to know and love Him more. And as a single woman, it’s a good reminder
that a husband and kids are not a prerequisite to receive all God has
for me in this life.
Dear
God, thank You for all Your blessings. There is so much I take for
granted because I’m so busy wishing I had more. But You are more than
enough. Thank You for all of the gifts and talents You’ve given me. I
ask that You’d give me direction in using them for Your glory regardless
of my circumstances. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
|
Truth For Today
Titus
2:12, “And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful
pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness,
and devotion to God.” (NLT)
Read more articles from Proverbs 31, here
No comments:
Post a Comment