The Proverbs 31 Woman

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
– John 10:10

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
-Psalm 40: 1-3

These verses describe my life perfectly right now. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been - the freest, the most joyful, the most secure. We celebrated two milestones this year – my 30th birthday, and our 10th wedding anniversary. We greeted both with joy and thanksgiving. I love my husband. Our love is deeper and richer than ever. I respect him. I’m proud to be his wife. I miss him when we’re not together. Excuse the cheesiness, but I couldn’t be more sincere.

Now there is a verse (one among many) that does not describe my life:

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
-Proverbs 31:25

I definitely have room to grow on the strength and dignity part, but it’s the second part that really escapes me. When I think about how wonderful my life is right now, it is always tagged with thoughts like, “not for long” and/or “something terrible is sure to happen any day now.” Now, I don’t believe these thoughts are entirely untrue, because bad stuff is always going to happen in this world. The death rate is still 100%. People I love are going to die, hopefully not tragically, but anything is possible. All sorts of horrible things are possible – house fires, violent crime, sickness, etc.

While bad things eventually happen in everyone’s life, surely it can’t be good to worry about it in advance. And of course I worry about worst case scenario. It’s like I’m trying to brace myself, so that something can’t take me by surprise, or maybe by living out the scenario in my head, It’ll be easier to deal with when it comes. It can't be healthy to stress oneself out over imaginary trials. Yet, despite the realities of this world, of which she is surely aware, the Proverbs 31 woman laughs at the days to come.

The Proverbs 31 woman is pretty sweet. If you've never read about her before, you should check it out (Proverbs 31:10-31) I used to feel condemned when I read about her, about how I could never measure up. Romans 8:1 says: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So I don't have to feel that way. She may not have been a real woman, but rather a portrait of the ideal woman, someone to emulate. I was reading the notes in my NIV Study Bible about the Proverbs 31 woman and I loved what it had to say. I’ll end this post with the authors notes:

Proverbs has a lot to say about women. How fitting that the book ends with a picture of a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the Bible is retiring, servile, and entirely domestic. Not so! This woman is an excellent wife and mother. She is also a manufacturer, importer, manager, realtor, farmer, seamstress, upholsterer, and merchant. Her strength and dignity do not come from her amazing achievements, however. They are a result of her reverence for God. In our society where physical appearance counts for so much, it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is never mentioned. Her attractiveness comes entirely from her character.