I must have read Proverbs 31 about twenty times since I mentioned it the other day. I promised to write something more about it, and I was sure at the time that I had plenty of insights to share, but the truth is, I’m stuck. To do it justice I would need to blog about one or two verses at a time, since there is not a single aspect of this virtuous wife that I can look at and think, “Well, I’ve got that one under control.” Every single verse contains something I need to work on. If these verses were my to-do list, it would not have a single check on it. Oh, dear.
But then it occurred to me: this is what the Christian walk is all about. I read God’s Word. I become aware that He is Holy God with standards so impossibly high that I could never reach them. Ever. And then, if my heart is where it ought to be, I remember that this Holy God loves me anyway. That He knows I can never reach His standard, but that there was One who did. And that His death and resurrection meant that I am forever freed from the judgement I deserve for *not* being who God says I ought to be.
Then, as I glance back at the same words that once condemned me, I remember this:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
So, here’s what I can do through Christ who strengthens me for all the good works He has prepared for me (Ephesians 2:10). I can be the kind of wife who will bring happiness and security to my husband, never being a burden to him, but always lightening his load (verses 11-12). I can help him to be all that God wants Him to be (verse 23). I can look after all the affairs of our home (27a), feeding all the hungry little mouths here (15), and then looking to see who else might be hungry around me (20). With my spare time (27b), I can look to see how I might bless my home financially, either by stretching the pennies that my husband works so hard to bring home, or by thinking how I might bring in some more pennies (16, 19, 24) without compromising my purpose as a wife and mother. And above all these things, I can remember that my beauty comes not from any of the physical things I might sometimes concern myself with, but from a heart that fears the Lord (30).
It is a tall order, to be sure, but it is not my order to fill. It is only mine to submit to the God who will shape me into this woman. I pray that I will have a willing heart, even if it does come to getting up at 6 AM every morning!