Proverbs 31 - Week 2

So I mentioned in my last post that my sister and I did an ebook on Proverbs 31. I highly recommend taking the time to do it. If you are interested, visit Women Living Well and subscribe, and you will get a free copy of the ebook! 

I always viewed the Proverbs 31 woman as a recipe for failure, so I basically wrote her off as being "an impossible goal" to attain. But through this study, the Lord really showed me that He is not asking me to be perfect. He has instead placed a guide before me and a goal to work toward, and that this is something that is to be worked toward through the duration of a lifetime. Too many times as women we write off the Proverbs 31 woman, but knowing that ALL Scripture is God-breathed, I believe this is something that God really wants us to look at! And like I said before, perfection is not the goal! The goal is to become more and more like Christ little by little, day by day. And how neat that He basically gave us a "how-to" guide to help us along that process? Now that I am "on board" with the Proverbs 31 woman, when I come across an area I need to work on, instead of beating myself up about it, I thank the Lord for revealing that area to me and ask him to give me the grace and strength to incorporate that virtue in my life. I pray that you are encouraged rather than discouraged if you choose to take the Proverbs 31 journey with us! 

We did one virtue a day last month and it proved to be very beneficial for us! We liked it so much that we decided to do it a second time, but this time focus on one verse/virtue a week.

Last week was Proverbs 31:10 - "A wife of NOBLE character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies!" This is kind of the overarching verse of the study for us. I keep it right on my desk and have it memorized. In the book, she offers 10 areas to do an inventory of sorts and ask the Lord how you are doing in those areas. She explains what it means to be NOBLE. Some of the things that were discussed that I needed to work on were not moping around or complaining about my housework, not being discontent or bored, and not disrespecting Trice! Shocking, right? ;) One of the biggest helps to this was finally accepting that I am RIGHT where I am supposed to be! Thus I will be excellent to where I am called! Now that I understand my role and my purpose, some things have been naturally falling back into their proper place.

For this week, the verse is Proverbs 31:11 - "Her husband has FULL CONFIDENCE in her and lacks nothing of value." She lists 7 areas to do an inventory and ask, "Can my husband trust me in these areas?" These areas are money, children, home, his reputation, faithfulness, my emotions, and my ability to make wise choices. This was extremely convicting to me, because it opened my eyes to the fact that no, my husband does not have full confidence in me! When my husband walks out the door to go do a gig in another state for a week, does he have full confidence that I will be able to manage the home with excellence while he is gone? ROASTED. Many times I have caved and called Trice and cried about how tough the week is while he is gone. And that does ZERO good for anyone, because it isn't like he could help from afar anyway! As the homemaker, I have to take care of the house, kids, finances, myself, etc. so that I can fully release my husband to excel in his workplace and not be burdened by the thoughts that we need him to be home. The spiritual truth that I need to keep at the forefront of my thinking is that the LORD is my strength and my helper. I cannot rely on my husband for that! One of my life verses that I have memorized that I literally quote several times a day is Psalm 28:7 - "The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He HELPS me and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." Isn't that a powerful promise??

And please hear my heart. I am not saying that I don't need Trice's help. Obviously we are a team. But I am saying that when I rely on HIM for things that I should only be relying on God for, it puts an unfair pressure on him, and Trice is not able to thrive at what HE is called to do!

The other area that was convicting for me was the area of my emotions... especially during "that time of the month." I'm just being real, yall! To be a Proverbs 31 woman, I cannot act like a child when I don't feel good. I cannot be moody and make excuses for my behavior. The Lord wants me to be SOLID and GROUNDED both emotionally and spiritually. And a huge part of that is making sure I am having my daily time with the Lord, no matter the cost! Other key tools to being grounded include memorizing Scripture and having accountability. I literally carry around a little index card booklet of verses that I need. They are like food for my spiritual belly! I also have an inner circle of friends/accountability partners that I can call when I am struggling. It's important to make sure you have friends you can call who aren't going to help you make excuses for your behavior, but who are going to speak the truth to you and encourage you in your role as a wife and mother. And always ALWAYS always honor your husband!! You can seek advice and wisdom without bashing your husband in the process!

And remember what the second half of the verse says: "(he) lacks nothing of value." Wow! Don't we all want husbands who lack nothing of value?? When we do our part, and when our husbands know they have wives that they are confident in, it helps them to be the men they are called to be! I love that!

I am so excited to be on this journey with my sister. I pray that if the Lord leads, you will join us on this journey, and we can all do it together! What a beautiful thing that the Lord cares about us women enough to have such a helpful guide for us. 

Love and hugs,

Sarah