The Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31

In this post I'd like to go into some details about the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. The first thing that stands out to me about this woman is she is always busy! She's not “eating the bread of idleness” as another Proverb warns against. This doesn't mean we all have to become Miss or Misses Domesticated Perfectionist in order to be a virtuous woman. It does however mean, we shouldn't have time to do things like gossip or backbite. 
 
Another thing I notice about her is that even though she might have gone through struggles, she was an overcomer! We women can be overcomers today too because we are created for something better than anything this world has to offer. As it says in Revelations 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” This goes to show that our speech goes a long way into making or breaking our testimony. We might struggle in the area of arguing too much or gossiping but we can trust in the Lord's mercy and forgiveness. In Him we can be confident that there is nothing that can hold us back from overcoming any obstacle that stands in our way. 

Also the virtuous woman had a husband and children that praised her for how honorable she was. How nice would that be to have people actually recognize you for your honorable behavior! 

In the past I believe I had some misconceptions about the virtuous woman, I tended to believe that I had to be domesticated and prim and proper to be virtuous. I also thought I had to have a picture-perfect life to be virtuous, but that's not true either! Now I have learned that I can be a testimony in the workplace and be virtuous by my speech as well as my actions in that environment. Also in the church I can serve and at home I can build a healthy relationship with my husband. Sometimes we're led to believe that we have to compete with others for the top position of being more virtuous than someone else or more holy or more conservative than the next person. That's not true! We are all made different and God has created each of us for a purpose! That purpose is to serve Him, by serving and loving others. 

The world also has it's own interpretation of what we as women should be and look like, which sometimes can cause us to be confused and frustrated. In the world the perfect woman has excellent external features and is usually bold and proud. The Bible teaches though that appearance isn't everything, although it is important, don't get me wrong here. External is important but Eternal is what really counts! Focus on the future my friends, which includes your eternal home in heaven.

I like what Peter says in 1 Peter 5:5 “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. '” The first thing we should remember is to have love and humility, not be bold and proud. This doesn't mean you shouldn't have an opinion and stand for it, but there is a fine line as to how to present that. I have at least found this true in my own life.

The virtuous woman is also a good financial manager. She goes to great pains to make sure her family is provided for and even clothes her family in scarlet, a very rich material. Recently my husband and I have learned some valuable lessons in money management including how to have an emergency fund and get rid of debt. This has helped us have less contentions and we've been able to save and tithe more than we ever had been able to before. I'd suggest listening to the podcasts available from Dave Ramsey as he has some excellent pointers on how to manage money. 
 
So these are some of my thoughts on the virtuous woman, I may write more on this topic at some point but for now please feel free to comment or contact me with any questions or yes even suggestions! Thanks for reading and God bless you in your walk with Him!