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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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Yikes! Proverbs 31!
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The warm remembrances and appreciation expressed on a typical Mother’s Day can be cooled by a sermon that depicts a perfection that all moms and wives should not only strive for, but achieve. When such a sermon finds its text in Proverbs 31, a subdued groan can be detected across the congregation. I realize I am a woman, as well as a wife and mother. (I have also been known to groan in response to Proverbs 31.) In being a woman, wife, and mother, I know none of us reach the state of perfection suggested by that one chapter. I am also committed to the veracity of Scripture. Is there a conflict? I don’t believe so. There is an ideal presented in Proverbs 31, and more specifically, verses 10-31. It contains truths that are timeless and that transcend cultures and history, but it also illustrates those basic truths from the culture that was prevalent when the words were written. Few of us today have servant girls to do our bidding, and I haven’t been in a home recently that had a spindle for spinning wool. In our suburbs and cities, it is hard to imagine traveling "afar" to bring home groceries. Most of us are bargain-hunters, and we would be quick to respond to the needs of another. The "ideal" presented is a depiction of character traits though, and not a "to-do" list.
And even as we contemplate the character of a virtuous and capable wife, we will see our humanness that falls short of not only God’s ideal, but often our own expectations. It’s a place for accepting our shortcomings, because they will be there, but at the same time, reaching for "the better" that God has for us and that His grace can grow us towards. The essence of Proverbs 31, I believe is capsuled in two short verses that introduce this description of a wife. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She will not hinder him but help him all her life. Eve was given to Adam to "complete" him. She was "the helper suitable for Adam." Not every woman is called to be a wife, but for those who are, God’s design is clear. A woman of integrity who is capable of enriching her husband’s life is a very gifted woman. She has talents, skills, and sensitivities that may be lacking in her husband, but as she becomes the woman God has designed her to be, she not only enriches her own life, but she enriches the life of her husband. She is the catalyst supporting and encouraging the work of God in her husband’s life. Blended together in a unity that is borne of a deepening trust, there is a oneness that upholds the strengths of both individuals. That "oneness" is an ideal worth pursuing. We may still groan when the text is read from Proverbs 31, but perhaps we can look, not at the perfection we tend to see there, but at the principles behind the words, and the fulfillment they offer to both a husband and a wife.
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— Bev |
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