A case for the Proverbs 31 woman
Some things I write come from a moment of inspiration, a quick lesson learned, a thought of the day. But this one is different…
This is a blog post that has been brewing inside for well over a year.
In the past few months it has resurfaced to the very tip top of my thoughts and quite honestly, the idea of putting it down on page has been so overwhelming that I’ve put it aside to brew a bit longer.
But perhaps now it’s time to begin.
Yes, simply begin - and see what more might spill out after this first attempt.
I don’t know if there is a passage in scripture that I have read more often then the 31st chapter of Proverbs.
Some find it daunting, some an inspiration! Some say it’s not humanly possible, some claim it as their role-model.
The thoughts vary on a wide spectrum. More often than not though, the thoughts are far from positive.
An eye-roll might be our most frequent response. And why do we suppose that is?
I would make a case that perhaps we do not enjoy the pressure it brings. It will always be easier to live life well when the bar rests in a comfortable position.
Yet, this morning as I paged through scripture - specifically the New Testament, I saw countless lives given to missions and callings that were far from what I would call possible.
I think first of the life of Paul. As I recently read through many of his letters, I was struck with the thought for the very first time - to carry out the ministry that Paul did would require super-human strength.
Think for a moment, on the amount of churches planted, leaders discipled, journeys accomplished, letters (later turned actual books!) written, not to even mention the physical, emotional and spiritual hardship and weights that he carried.
Perhaps now in our generation we would write off such a life as not necessary to pursue. But he thought otherwise.
In fact, he KNEW what he was called to and that is what drove him forward in a literal - impossible life. (2 Timothy 1:12)
And here is the case I make for our dear, Proverbs 31 woman.
That her life is yes, quite impossible.
But that is not a reason to think you and I are not called to the very same.
We live with impossible strength and resource at our disposal - should our lives not reflect this?
When I mention impossible I want to draw your attention to this one simple point:
The woman described in this chapter is not described as sinless, or without failure.
She is a woman of ambition and seeking after excellence. She is not free of temper, impatience or flaw. She is not praised for never having raised her voice with her children. Her children do not rise and call her blessed because she never burned their dinner or neglected the laundry for a day.
She is not inhuman, she is simply transformed with a desire to live her one little life well with thoughtful impact.
And I would ask this - has it ever occurred to us that perhaps the Proverbs 31 woman was the very happiest of all women?
We seem to think that her life would lead only to drudgery and misery, yet the opposite that we see daily on display in our culture is what ultimately leads to a life of hopelessness and despair. Why would it not be true that a life of intention and purpose would lead to the same fate?
Hard? Yes. Miserable? I think not.
Perhaps this chapter was placed in the Bible simply as an invitation to the very most fulfilled way of living.
It won’t look the same. It will vary in nature and season, but perhaps you and I would do well to pursue an impossible existence, not in our own strength, but only as the child of the God of the Universe who has already made us the offer of every resource in Heaven that we may every be in need of.
I wonder if we were to see more women like that described here in the 31st chapter of Proverbs and more men of Paul like ambition - what a different world we would find? Can you think of it?
You and I are called to an impossible life. Let’s now embrace it.