Proverbs 31
How do I begin?
I first read Proverbs 31 in the summer of 2020. As a newbie or “baby” Christian, I’m still doing my best to read through the entire bible. When I was first saved, my ambition to read the Word heavily outweighed my desire to live in biblical truth. This was not due to an interest to read the bible as literature, it was born out of perfectionism- after all, how could someone commit to Christ if they didn’t read through the whole bible? As you can probably imagine, this backfired spectacularly. Accepting Christ doesn’t mean you have to become a scholar of the bible (though reading the Word should be a priority), it means that God comes before everything.
I have never been “a lady.” When I say that, I mean that the idea of being a part of the fairer sex had never resonated with me on any significant level. When I gave thought to the kind of woman I want to be, and how I want my future children to perceive me, I realized that living out my faith needed to be a part of how I do ministry. Sitting down in the heat of a California summer, I opened Proverbs. As quick as a draw, I felt God speak to me through the pages. I knew, in that moment, that the words of Proverbs 31 were meant to guide me on my journey in womanhood.
I wasn’t sure how to proceed with becoming this “fair woman.” Would I simply wake up (early) one morning and start gardening, cooking exotic foods, spinning yarn, sewing my own clothes, and searching for fresh flax? How was I supposed to develop dignity, speak with wisdom, and in general maintain an air of happiness- so much so that it exudes from me like perfume? While I am not typically one to shy away from a challenge, I put off accepting this particular situation for as long as I possibly could. But every day I woke up with a longing that I could not shake.
In spring of 2021, I was seated with one of my roommates in our living room. Hunched over my Macbook (I know, not very ladylike), I lamented my struggle in wanting to start a blog about traditional living, but not believing I had either the experience or the following to garner any attention, nor the necessary tools to begin. My roommate, bless her, comforted me in her own unique way. “What exactly do you want your blog to be about?” she asked. “Who would you want to read it? How often would you want to post? Do you have any ongoing themes you would want to write about?” That last question spoke to me in a way I couldn’t have predicted: I then knew exactly how I could approach the scripture.
Proverbs 31 reads as a list of behaviors, affects, and routines. While there is some instruction, most of it reads as an image or an ideal, but not as a manual. I am a list person. If I have a list of instructions to follow, I tend to do very well. This posed a unique issue for me- how was I supposed to follow Proverbs without explicit detail? Sitting with my roommate, I said what I thought sounded very silly. “What if I took a verse or two and designed for myself activities to complete on a monthly basis to write blog posts about?” Suffice to say, it was not as silly an idea as it had sounded in my mind.
After months of thought, I decided that the best time to start this project was at the beginning of the year. With January nigh, I’m very excited to announce that 2022 will be the year that my Proverbs 31 project begins. A disclaimer: the bible was written a very long time ago. What may have made a woman virtuous in practicality may look slightly different in the year of our Lord 2022. That doesn’t mean I won’t be using scripture as my guide; rather, I do intend to go beyond my comfort zone in living out Proverbs 31 (I am not an early morning person, and I love sitting around doing nothing for hours on end). I have to be willing to follow the scripture in a somewhat literal sense, but in that I do ask for grace and understanding. I am bound to make errors, and more than that, there are going to be parts of Proverbs 31 that I may struggle with, or be unable to do (God is capable of anything, so if a field happens to come into my possession, perhaps I will plant a vineyard). Because of that, how I approach the verses may be unique, and your patience and curiosity are greatly appreciated.
Stay tuned in January for the first leg of this journey!
Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)
10. An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29. ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’
30. Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.