I’ve always felt passionate about Proverbs 31. As a woman who takes her faith seriously, this is “goals” for wifehood. Something that I believed the Lord has laid on my heart, is for me to study Proverbs 31… and to share my notes, thoughts, and rants with you.
I think one big long post about this section would be way to long for even me to read. I hope to spend a blog post just discussing a few verses to think about everyday.
I hope that through this experience of reading and writing, we can grow more as a woman, a wife, and a believer in Christ.
So Proverbs 31 – The virtuous wife.
Before we even begin to read, I had to look up what virtuous even really meant. The ESV version uses the word “excellent.” Good ol’ google uses “having or showing high moral standards.”
But what does that really mean? I’m more of a one-word definition type of girl. Some synonyms are: righteous, good, pure, “whiter than white.”
Let’s pause for a moment… “whiter than white”…this synonym made me pause and squint real hard to make sure I was reading it correctly. Because if it literally means “whiter than white” I am truly virtuous. ;). Any other pale skin girls? The type of pale the sun literally reflects off your legs and your need sunglasses so you don’t blind yourself? ; )
Unfortunately just based off our skin tone does not qualify us as virtuous. When I think of “whiter than white” I think of pure, holy, kind, and loving. A woman that reflects Christ in every aspect of her daily life.
Now that we know what a virtuous wife is, let’s read what she is like.
Verse 10 says, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”
A woman who loves Jesus is worth more than any jewel. We may not feel like it or look like it all the time, but remember what our worth is found in.
Verse 11 – “The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.”
My husband is my best friend. I can’t imagine if he wasn’t. We still use phrases like “PINKY PROMISE,” even though we both trust each other. My husband trusts me so much that he can tell me where my Christmas presents are and I will not go look. I am tempted to look. ;). When tempted, I just remember how happy he will be when he sees how surprised I am.
“He will have no lack of gain.” Once again, I am puzzled, what does that even mean? Different translations add some more insight:
NIV – Lacks nothing of value.
NLT – She will greatly enrich his life.
CSB – He will not lack anything good.
CEV – She never lets him down.
What does it mean to not lack value or anything good? As a wife it may be caring for the physical needs, I tend to think this has to do more with a spiritual need.
As a wife, I feel I need to be a source of confidence for my husband. To give him hope when he needs it. To encourage him and to show I believe in him. I am learning, men need this more and more every day.
“I love you.” “You did great!” “I appreciate you helping me.” “Thank you!”
I notice when my husband hears these sayings more and more, his confidence grows and he believes more in himself. He feels purpose and love in our home.
Galatians 5 talks about the Fruits of the Spirit. The Fruits of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
I hope to work more on providing these fruits to me and my husband everyday.
Verse 12: “She does him good and not evil. All the days of her life.”
All is a big word. Thankfully we constantly receive grace from God. We are not perfect. But how much different would our day be if we realized honoring and reflecting Christ is the goal for the day. Going to work, doing chores, and running errands are just opportunities to reflect, share, and grow in Jesus.
Let’s work on loving Jesus and being a reflection of Jesus to our husbands every day, ALL day.
Jesus loves you oh virtuous wife.