This week I am thinking about my mom who died eighteen years ago this week. She was a marvelous example of a Proverbs 31 woman. In Winter Wonderland, the book I am currently finishing, the second in the Whispering Woods series, I am planning a women’s retreat conference where 250 women will gather under the teaching of a Proverbs 31 woman named Daphne. This section from Chapter 12 reminds us all of the ideal image of a Proverbs 31 woman, who, the Bible says, is worth more than rubies.
” Verse 13 says she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. Verse 14 says she finds food from near and far to serve her family. Verse 15 reminds that her days are full. She is often up before daylight attending to the needs of her family and others. Verse 16 says she buys real estate and considers business opportunities. Verse 17 says she works vigorously and stays strong enough to accomplish her tasks. Verse 18 says she trades to her advantage, the equivalent of watching the sales to provide for her household, and she stocks her home so she is always prepared for times to come.
She is also aware of others. She gives to the poor, and verse 20 says she “extends her hands to the needy.” She and her family are prepared for cold weather and adversity because she has planned ahead and provided. She also keeps a beautiful home, with colorful linens and bed coverings.
She makes sure her husband is free to meet with the elders and those of importance in the village. He can leave running the household in her capable hands while he finds respect elsewhere. She is also a businesswoman who sells in the marketplace.
If that is not enough, she also is dignified and strong, and can laugh easily because she has optimism for the future. She is also wise, and instructs others because she has listened to wisdom and made use of her own learning.
Most of all, she is commended in Proverbs 31 for never being idle. Her children call her blessed, and her husband praises her. Finally, Proverbs 31 commends this woman: “Many women do noble things but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Proverbs 31: 29-31.
It is Cathy’s prayer that every woman attending this conference will strive to attain the Proverbs 31 status.”
Although I fail miserably at some of these attributes, I strive to attain them anyway. If these qualities were important enough for their place in Scripture, they’re significant for the twenty-first century woman as well.
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