A Proverbs 31 Woman is Focusing on These Five Areas of Life

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Hello, and welcome back to the blog!

Today we're continuing a series on the Proverbs 31 woman, specifically looking at her areas of focus. If we're striving to be the ideal wife found in scriptures, do we really need to get out a distaff or purchase a vineyard? What's the equivalent for modern-day wives?

Let's talk about it.

Character

The Proverbs 31 woman is committed to maintaining a beautiful character. Her heart of gold and spirit of integrity work their way from the inside out, manifesting in a visible goodness covering her household. 

Take a look at the scriptures where we learn more about the character of the Proverbs 31 woman:

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
   She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.

12 12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

Her character shines positively on her husband. He has no reason not to trust her, and because of her leaders and elders think highly of him. She isn't out telling everyone how irritating he is when he leaves his socks laying around, or about his inability to take care of the kids by himself. Her words to him and about him are gracious and generous.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

26 26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She has a spirit of peace and thoughtfulness, and those characteristics are passed along in the attitude and instruction she gives her to her family.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:

29 29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”

Kids will be kids, and they're not going to arise and call you blessed if you're being a bully. The Proverbs 31 woman is treating her children with respect, just as she is her husband. She'll treat them differently than her husband because of the difference between the parental and spousal relationships, but the end result is the same feeling of safety and admiration.

30 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Above all and for the long haul, she turns to the Lord.

31 31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

She isn't in the background, invisible and unknown. Her husband isn't the only one mentioned when folks gather at the city gate! He can take his seat amongst the elders of the land, and her name and efforts can be applauded alongside his.

Home Economics

I have another post about why it makes sense that the Proverbs 31 woman was a homemaker, and here we see a large portion of these Proverbs 31 scriptures pointing to the ideal wife being heavily involved in the details of her home.

13 13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.

Eager hands are gracious hands, and they're hands that aren't procrastinating. Procrastination is not very Proverbs 31-ish of us.

14 14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.

There is forethought and planning going into her food purchases.

15 15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.

Her husband, children, and ladies under her delegation receive food as a result of her diligence. People have to eat, and someone needs to do the work to feed them healthy meals. 

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Appropriate attire and household linens are details not to be overlooked when running a home. The Proverbs 31 woman is so involved in these details that she 1 - has no fear of weather events, because she's done the work to prepare for what will surely come, and 2 - has given her home the best she can. Scarlet, linen, and purple are high quality, intentional choices. 

She didn't decide she wasn't good at putting together a home. She put in the effort to make her people and her space comfortable and respectable.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

From daily meals to clothing to bed linens, the Proverbs 31 woman is busy making sure everyone's needs are met. She knows no laziness.

Finances and Entrepreneurship

We've got a few repeated scriptures here, because I think some scriptures deal with multiple areas of the Proverbs 31 woman's life. 

The Proverbs 31 woman was in control of a considerable amount of money for a woman of Biblical times. She was knowledgeable in financial matters, opinionated in investments, and entrepreneurial in spirit.

13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.

16 16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

This is considerable! This shows financial understanding, planning, and careful investment of resources into a wealth-building asset.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.

I think this one is important for so many of us ladies. We're quick to assume what we create wouldn't be worth selling, or our skillset isn't worth marketing. The Proverbs 31 woman isn't wasting time with imposter syndrome. She knows her worth, and she puts in effort to reflect it.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.

Any skill can become income. The Proverbs 31 woman finds a way to make her existing skills, which initially serve her home to their fullest extent, profitable for her household.

Health

The ideal wife is physically healthy. Physical health is imperative to kickstarting eager work, avoiding laziness, and bypassing the brain fog in order to see to the incredible number of details arising from managing a home, a family, a business, and a team of other folks helping you get stuff done.

17 17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

Strength is the name of the game here. Physical strength leads to energy and a pain-free (or pain-reduced) body.

18 19 

Community Service

20 20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.

Last but not least, the Proverbs 31 woman is taking care of her community. She's specifically looking to the needs of those less fortunate than she. 

The Proverbs 31 version of community service sees to the basic needs of those around you. Food, clothing, and shelter. Let's not ignore the difficult lives of others because it makes us uncomfortable, or because we're tired of dealing with it. Let's put our Proverbs 31 pants on and help some folks.

That's it for today! Let me know in the comments below if you think there are other areas of life the Proverbs 31 woman focused on, or if these scriptures belong in different categories.

All the love,

Emily

Please feel free to contact me at admin@tulipsandbasil.com!

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