Becoming the Proverbs 31 Woman
What was your response when you first read Proverbs 31?
Unattainable, unrealistic, underachiever!!!
That’s how I felt! I had mixed feelings when I first read this Proverb, wondering if such a “perfect” woman ever existed, and if so, how on earth could I ever measure up?
After looking a bit deeper into Proverbs 31, I discovered that she was not an iconic figure to be admired but a work in progress. She was not PERFECT; she was, however, being PERFECTED day by day – just like us! When I think of the word perfect, I think of something or someone that has no flaws, blemishes, or faults — someone that has it all together inside and outside. The word PERFECT does indeed mean to be without fault, flawless. However, to be PEFECTED is the past participle of perfect, meaning to make something free from faults over time. I love that! Perfection happens over time, not over night! So too, salvation occurs in a moment, but sanctification, the process of becoming more and more like Jesus (perfected), occurs over a lifetime.
What makes the Proverbs 31 woman so virtuous is not that she knows how to cook, clean, and care for her family while investing in property and working a part time job. It’s not the fact that she has great wisdom and business sense. The key to this Proverbs 31 woman is her fear of the Lord. That's what makes her a woman of virtue. The perfection of the Proverbs 31 woman doesn’t stem from her impeccable homemaking skills but from her heart. Her perfection is not her own; it belongs to the One who owns her soul. The only reason the Proverbs 31 Woman can be seen as “perfect” is because she is a product of a perfect God who lives within her. The only thing that’s perfect about her is Jesus!
If you don’t like to get up early or cook a gourmet meal — it’s ok! The most important thing is NOT what you do but who you love. Do you love Jesus? If so, He will complete the work that He has begun in you (Phil. 1:6). He will perfect you into His image, for that is the best image we could ever ask for. So the next time you doubt your calling because you aren’t Joanna Gains or the Pioneer Women, look to Jesus – for He is the best thing you can give your family.
— Michelle Randall