Strength of a woman.

In celebration of international women's day, I feel the need to write about the strength of a woman. A video circulated on the internet about the position of a woman as the director of a home, she does everything, but she does not get paid for her service. And this made me remember Proverbs 31: 27 "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness".

There have been people of the school of thought that Christianity and religion foster how women are treated. It does not take a lot to know that, just like everything else, people who do not understand the bible often take the written word of God out of context. For this episode, I will be exploring The Proverbs 31 women as it is popularly known. Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. This verse speaks to the fact that a woman of noble character is priceless. Besides the fact that a virtuous woman is invaluable, this passage speaks to how a virtuous woman should be seen. She is to be held in the highest esteem, just as how we value things precious and dear to us, so also should a virtuous woman be valued because she is worth more than any valuable thing we can ever imagine.

I find it interesting that the bible says that "a virtuous woman, who can find"? You only search and find something that is rare. No wonder she is priceless. It also speaks that while this is ideal and as Christians, we should work towards being a woman of noble character, not all women are noble.

So what characteristics make her unique and priceless?

Keeper of Trust: verses 11-12 "The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life". Not equating a woman to God, but I find it fascinating that the above passage is similar to Jeremiah 17:7-8 "But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

A virtuous woman is one who her husband is not afraid to trust and a woman who knows what to do with that trust. We can trust people with different things, but we do not trust everybody with our hearts. Even the bible tells us to guard our hearts. As such, we are careful who with whom we entrust our hearts to avoid disappointments. We might say, of course, the husband doesn't have a choice but to trust his wife with his heart. After all, they are married, so it is a no brainer. But the keyword here is "safely". Some men are being married, but they may not safely trust their wives. Some women may be such that if anything happens in their house, the world (figuratively speaking) will know. They do not know how to keep things within the household. In this instance, the trust of the husband is not safe.

This is the difference between a virtuous woman and other women. A virtuous woman will not only keep but preserve her husband's trust, and just as we Christians who trust God flourish regardless of the season of our lives, so also does the husband of a virtuous woman see good irrespective of the phase they are in their marriage. Even through thick and thin, a virtuous woman will know how to deal with the situation and still keep her husbands trust.

Entrepreneurial: verses 13,24 "She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. She makes linen garments, sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants.". Using the term we are familiar with, a virtuous woman is entrepreneurial. She does not sit around waiting for opportunities instead, she consciously and deliberately seeks out opportunities to work and does the work willfully. She is not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Provider: verses 14-15 "She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. She is like the merchant ships. She brings her food from afar. "

Interestingly, the bible likens her to a merchant ship. As we will already know, a merchant ship is a cargo that transports goods. So technically, she is a vessel, and I imagine that bringing her food from afar means she can go to any length to ensure that there is always food at the table. It is no wonder that her husband trusts her, and he lacks nothing.

Not only does she bring the food, but she also ensures she wakes up early to prepare the food and makes sure it is ready before everyone wakes up.

We have often heard that the man is the provider in the family, but lest we forget when God created Eve, he created a helpmeet, and that means she can also help a man provide for the family

Investor: verse16 "She considers a field and buys it; From her profits, she plants a vineyard". You can say she is prudent and wise. She does not make any significant decisions without careful thought. Buying land is a huge decision, and there are many things to consider before buying one. And a virtuous woman does this. In addition, we can say she is also good at savings. So she has good spending habits and good saving habits. That is the only way she can afford to buy land and plant on them.

Plus planting means she is also planning and investing for the future. Because it takes time for whatever is planted to become fruitful.

Kind and generous: Proverbs 31:20 "She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy". A virtuous woman is not only concerned about her immediate family but people in need. We can get so caught up with what is happening and taking care of our family that we forget those in need out in the world. Even the bible refers to this in Deuteronomy 15:11

"For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and the poor and needy in your land".

Prepared: verses 21-22 "She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet". A virtuous woman is ready for whatever happens. Nothing catches her unawares. She knows the seasons and is ready for them.

Full of wisdom: verse 26 "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue". Not only is she careful with business, but when she speaks, her words are also laden with wisdom. I will reckon it will be one of the reasons her husband safely trusts her, and her family calls her blessed and sings her praises verses 28.

Speaking with wisdom takes much discipline because you have to choose your words carefully and ensure you say meaningful words.

I hope this blesses you, and you can pick at least a character to develop within you.

Much love,

See you in the next episode.

Victoria