I have avoided those verses my entire life. When I start reading Proverbs 31, anxiety ensues. I can't read them without thinking about all of the ways I am NOT a virtuous woman.
This weekend, my grandmother was laid to rest. I was first asked to pray at her funeral. This I can do, whether in front of 1 person or 200 people, it usually doesn't make me too nervous. Then, plans changed. Instead, I was asked to read Proverbs 31:10-31. The one set of verses that send me into a downward spiral fetal position and I was asked to read them for my grandmother's funeral in front of a sanctuary full of people. Thank you, Irony.
Before reading scripture in front of a group, I like to investigate the background surrounding the passage. Specifically, what am I reading and why is this woman my nemesis? Usually, its God's way of opening my eyes to something new he has to teach me. Thank you, God.
These verses were written at the end of a book on wisdom. Hebrew sons memorizing the scriptures had to learn this passage on what to look for in a wife. In Hebrew, the verses are an acrostic of the alphabet, providing an easy way for the young men to remember.
The verses are clearly not written in first person, so this woman didn't write this about herself. What woman could? We always feel like we are failing, never doing enough. Someone wrote this about her. Someone was looking at her life from the outside and wrote what they saw. The woman displayed wisdom in her daily choices and an onlooker wrote about her.
Like all of us, she was simply doing her best. I am sure she was weary and exhausted, feeling like she could barely keep her head above water. This woman, whose perfection always intimidated me, isn't perfect. I'm sure she yelled raised her voice at her kids and complained about dirty socks all over the floor. She had to have failed once in a while at meal planning and getting all of the laundry washed, dried, folded, and put away.
But when it came to major decisions, those that affect her family, she used wisdom. Day by day, moment by moment, she called on wisdom.
Wisdom isn't something we are all blessed with. It's one of those things where I wonder if I was skipped over when the good Lord was passing it out. I surely could use some when trying to get my children to listen.
The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, asked God for wisdom. In fact, because he asked for it, instead of wealth or fame, God gave him an abundance of all three!
I wonder if the Virtuous Woman asked God for wisdom as she began her day, in order to make the best decisions for her family? I bet she did. How could she have accomplished all of the tasks before her without first asking God for his wisdom to complete them?
This challenges me, before I begin my day, to pray for wisdom. I may only have a moment to breathe before I wake my first little one to get ready for her day; however, in that moment, what a difference it could make if I asked God for the wisdom to make the best choices for my family throughout the chaos.
I challenge you to do the same. What a difference it could make in our world if we all started the day asking God for a little wisdom!
Dear God,
As lift my head and rise from bed,
grant me with wisdom to be a woman of virtue,
deciding for my family what is best, and
preparing my heart for the day ahead.
Perhaps being a Woman of Virtue isn't so unattainable after all.
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