Proverbs 31: A Virtuous Woman – Styled in apparel, words, and actions.

Hey guys!  I am so happy to finally be completing my Proverbs 31 virtuous woman study.  It has been a year since I last uploaded a blog about Proverbs 31.  Milo wasn’t even born yet with the last one I wrote.  Now he’s 16 months old!

Massive facepalm moment but I was busy about learning how to be a mom. Then goodness gracious hasn’t 2020 been everything but normal! 😉

But now, here I am, ready to finish.  So today I want to blog about verses 25-27.

This verse is so short but has so much meaning behind it.

How many of us when we get up in the morning are like, “oh now let me put on my strength, and where is my dignity… the washing machine maybe!”

Now I understand that those are not physical items we can put on.  But what if we tried to today.

Our strength is from the Lord.

What if we prayed every morning for the Lord to clothe us with His strength.

She is also clothed in dignity.  Now dignity means “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.”

Another word for it could be clothed in righteousness.  Not our own righteousness of course, but Christ.

I recently have been trying to memorize the Bible verse Galatians 3:27.

When I think about getting dressed in the morning, how much more would it change my appearance knowing I was to be clothed with God’s strength and Christ righteousness.

Now, it might not change my clothes so much because I understand those days of sweatpants for stay at home moms.

But it would change my attitude towards positive thinking, knowing I have God’s strength to get me through this day.  It would change my “glow” knowing I should strive to be a reflection of Christ to my son and husband.

Whew that little part is a lot to take in… I am still working through these realizations myself.  But the verse doesn’t end there.

“She laughs at the time to come.”

Another version says she “rejoices in time to come.”

Some commentaries mentioned how this could be talking about the end time and her faith in God.  I think it somewhat has to do with now.

Even if “time to come” means tomorrow, two weeks from now, 5 years from now, or the last days on earth, her faith is in God.

I strive to continue to build my faith to be like this verse.

I like how it says she laughs or rejoices in Proverbs 31:25.  She is still showing womanly beauty with her smile, while showing confidence in her Lord to guide the rest of her days.

As a stay at home mom, this one is a big accomplishment.  My son is only 16 months and I already can tell he makes my temper flair some times.  I can only imagine when he’s ten.

“She opens her mouth with wisdom.”  Now, you don’t have to be a scholar of some sort to have wisdom.  I was always taught wisdom comes from experience.  That’s why a lot of older people have more of it.  😉

I pray as a mother, I don’t forget the importance of the simple words of wisdom.  Words I say everyday can actually be pretty wise – “Brush your teeth.”  “Clean up.”  “Don’t touch the hot stove.”

All of those things actually have consequences.  Don’t brush your teeth – cavities.  Don’t clean your room – even bigger mess to clean later.  Touch the hot stove – burn.

More important simple words of wisdom are – “Let’s pray about that.”  “What does the Bible say.”  “Jesus loves you.” 

May I always remember the importance of simple wisdom.

“The teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

Another version says, “gives instruction with kindness.”

How many times do I bark instruction to my family?  Too many times to count sadly.  What if I just changed my tone and spoke with more kindness.

I know on days when I try I feel so much better, and my family seems happier.

So everyday before you are about to repeat yourself for the tenth time to your kids AND husband ( 😉 ) breathe AND speak with kindness.

I actually like the NLT version a little better – “She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.”

“She carefully watches everything in her household.”  This is something I have been striving to do.  I have really picked up an interest in traditional homemaking.  There are several great YouTube videos and blogs with lots of great ideas.

But most importantly, I have been realizing my home is a blessing and a job.  The Lord has blessed me with a home to take care of.  While many of the chores are not my favorite thing to do, they are something that God has made me a steward of.

“Suffers nothing from laziness.”  This is another thing I have been challenging myself with.  I often tend to put things off because I want to watch a show, check Instagram, or finally have a moment to myself.

I have challenged myself to do as much as I can now.  If I have 5 minutes – wash Milo’s sippy cups, if I have 15 minutes – the bathroom actually takes a shorter amount of time to clean than you think. 😉

Dust or fold laundry while you watch a YouTube.

By applying this to my life, my home has been easier to clean, and I am actually getting a lot of things accomplished.

I encourage everyone to write a schedule for yourself, check yourself to see if you are being lazy in anyway.

I understand as a mom, somedays you just need to lay on the couch and snuggle your teething toddler.  But someday’s toddlers are the perfect companion to tag along around the house while doing chores.  🙂

I feel like I could write blog post on each of these verses alone.  I hope we can continue to dwell on these verses the rest of the week.

Remember

Put on some strength and dignity.

Smile with confidence from the Lord.

Speak with wisdom and kindness.

Don’t be lazy. 😉

 

~Gracefully Fashionable Britt