Charm [is] deceitful and beauty [is] passing, But a woman [who] fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
[Pro 31:30 NKJV]
Virtuous wife. Proverbs 31 woman. Who of us have read that passage and thought there is absolutely no way I can ever be that woman. It just isn’t humanly possible.
As humans, women can never expect to meet the high standards of the Proverbs 31 woman. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t, through God’s help, work on it.
I look to Proverbs 31:30. My main purpose as a wife is to fear the Lord. By fearing the Lord, and making Him first in my life, He will work in me to help me be the wife He wants me to be for my husband. The Lord will give me wisdom and knowledge in order to exude the other traits written about in Proverbs 31.
Without Christ I am nothing. When I say nothing, I do not mean physically nothing. It means that without Christ, without God first in my life, I have no spiritual direction only worldly direction. God is the only one who gives me the ability to meet His standards rather than the world’s as it relates to my marriage.
Before 2020 I wasn’t the most centered on Christ wife. Sure, I had Christ in my life, but I was more of a modern day wife. As a stay at home wife, I would do tasks around the house, but I didn’t put my all into it. In actuality, there were many days I missed being out in the professional world. My husband encouraged me to volunteer, which I did, but there were days I wanted to bring home a paycheck. I wasn’t content to just “at home.”
Last year our lives changed, as did the lives of everyone in the world. My husband started working from home, like many others. Our life changed in a moment of time. My husband was now home for all meals, not just dinner. He needed a quiet atmosphere, so my cleaning routine changed. Other routines changed as well.
I went from having my day mostly to myself to having my husband home 24/7. That meant he needed me to give him support like never before when it came to getting through his work day. Even though he joked that he wasn’t expecting me to me a 1950s housewife, I knew that my role was to be there for him. My role wasn’t to be a 1950s housewife. My role was to provide him with Christ-centered love and attention and care – Proverbs 31 woman.
I needed to be trustworthy. My husband needed a wife he could rely on when he is hard at work in the office and needs something.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.
[Pro 31:11 NKJV]
I needed to make sure we had what we needed in the house so we could have food and other necessities.
She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
[Pro 31:27 NKJV]
My purchasing changed from fun to stocking us up on things needed. That meant finding delivery services, since I’m not allowed into stores. My husband began going to the grocery store because I could not. So, I researched and found ways to minimize the time he had to spend out doing my role. He loves me, and I know he will go out of his way for me, but his work load is heavy.
There are many parts to the Proverbs 31 woman. In the last year I have only worked on a few of the aspects of her virtue. I may never get to all of them. I will work on the ones that I know God impresses on my heart.
Being a Proverbs 31 woman, in any amount, requires devotion and prayer. We just can’t do it without Christ.
At the end of each day, and mostly at the end of my life here on earth, I want to know I did the best I could with Christ’s help to be a wife that not only my husband could admire but God as well.
Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.
[Pro 31:31 NKJV]
She Is Far More Precious than Jewels – Proverbs 31 (Bible Animation) | Logos Bible Software
Dear Jesus,
As we come before you today, we seek your wisdom, mercy, and grace. Many of us want to be that Proverbs 31 virtuous wife but fall so short because we are human and live in a fallen world. Today, Lord, we ask for your help to be that woman for our husbands and families. We ask for your help to show us how to be the woman our husbands can trust without hesitation. Help us do good and not evil. Give us strength and guidance to seek out what is needed for our homes. Help us learn to love you, our husbands and our families through the work of our hands, even when it seems so monotonous and tiring. You, Lord, watch over us. Every step we take is guided by you when we seek you. Lord, we especially ask for your strength for those women who may have husbands who do not seek you or know you. We pray for those in marriages where every day is a struggle. You alone can help us become more like the Proverbs 31 woman.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
