Becoming a Proverbs 31 Woman

The past few months I have been participating in a goodmorninggirls study of Proverbs 31 with several girlfriends.  I have shared on this blog before about the impact these particular words from God have been having on me and now as I have completed the study, I wanted to share a quick reflection.  As I have gone through the chapter I compiled a paraphrased list of the characteristics of this godly woman that is a role model for Christian wives.  I want to quickly share my list (broken down by verse) with you;

"10 An excellent wife, who can find? Her worth is far above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

13 cheerful hard worker
14 provides good meals
15 early riser & household organizer
16 thoughtful investor of time and resources for the benefit of her family
17 strong (mentally/emotionally, physically, spiritually)
18 confidently gets things done
19 resourceful homemaker
20 cares for the needy
21 prepares ahead for changes
22 well dressed
23 character reflects positively on her husband
24 diligent work produces quality goods
25 smiles at the future
26 speaks in wisdom with kindness
27 watches over her family and their needs
28-29 blessed by her children & husband
30 lives out of a deep respect ("fear") for God (*key*)
31 enjoys the fruit of her labor

To become a woman with those qualities is a tall order!  I think verse 30 provides a key to becoming more like this exemplary woman. It says, "a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." I believe the key to being like this woman is not just to focus on each characteristic attempting to "do it all," but the key is to live every day and every moment in awe and respect of our holy Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:9-15 says, "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest also in your consciences. We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." (NASB, emphasis mine)

To be like the Proverbs 31 woman, I must live with a recognition that my life is not all about me, but is for the purpose of honoring and glorifying God (1 Cor 5:15).  Live with a recognition that an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy God is with me at all times watching my every thought and action (1 Cor 5:10), as well as empowering me to do His will.  Live with a desire to know the heart of the Lord better and come to find that His heart is interested in loving and serving others.  It is out of respect for the Lord who has redeemed me (1 Cor 5:14) that I work to fulfill the highest calling He has placed on my life; the calling of being a wife and mother. This is why I am eager to serve my husband and my family.  Because based on the study of Proverbs 31, I know that God finds my role as a wife and mother as valuable, and fulfilling those roles well is praiseworthy.

I was so blessed by the final verse of this chapter which says, "Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." This verse is such a blessing because throughout the passage we see a very hard working woman sacrificially honoring God and her family with her diligent labor.  And in this final verse it indicates that there will be fruit from her labor.  Her labor will not have been in vain!  Not that we should need any other reason to live a godly life aside from honoring and glorifying God, but it sure is a sweet blessing to know that our hard work towards that end will make a difference even in this life.

I certainly still have a lot of growing to do to become a Proverbs 31 woman, but over the past few months I have experienced God's power at work within me through these verses and can testify to making noticeable strides towards becoming more like this exemplary woman.  If you are interested in becoming more like the Proverbs 31 woman I highly recommend this study! You can find the study for free here (link at bottom of post).