An Excellent Woman

"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
~Proverbs 31:29

The wife in Proverbs 31:10-31 seems like a whole lotta woman to live up to. In fact, she seems perfect. She appears to be some kind of superwoman with a clean house, perfect hair, make-up and nails, with kids who obey and never try to kill one another, and a perfect marriage to boot. Definitely a woman I've never met.

The Proverbs woman has been used as a measuring stick for women in church for as long as I can remember. As a younger woman, I used to scoff at the idea of this wife because she is so seemingly perfect and who can be perfect? Definitely a woman conceived in a male mind. But as I've aged, I see the usefulness of studying this woman. She has much to teach us.

The Proverbs woman is a loyal, faithful wife. She supports her husband in his ministry and his life. She is a good mother who raises her children to love God, and to honor their parents. She is kind, friendly, and generous. She is a working woman who contributes to society and helps build her family's security. She is really no different than you or me.

No matter what goes on in the world around us, God's word is unchanging. His expectations of us, whether male or female, are exactly the same now as they were when written. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 14:8).

Life around us is crazy, messy, and lately, seemingly out of control. It's like a hurricane or tornado that spins wildly, destroying everything in its path but in eye of the storm, it's silent and calm. Jesus is like that. No matter how life may spin out of control, if Christ is our center, we will experience peace and calm.

As women, we have an immense calling on our lives. We bear the brunt of raising children, keeping the home, cooking, cleaning, managing household affairs, caring for a husband and working full-time jobs. It's a heavy load with immense responsibility. At times it can also seem as if we carry that load alone. At times, I am convinced the author was right when he wrote, "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus." Sometimes, it's as if my husband and I speak different languages.

But God made us differently for a reason. We have our own skill sets as women, and our own talents as individuals. We are all the woman in Proverbs 31 because that is who God designed us to be - strong, wise, diligent, smart, educated, efficient, skillful daughters of the King.