The latter part of Proverbs 31 speaks in honour of wives. The writer begins with: “Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?”, and then he goes on to describe in great detail all of her accomplishments, work ethic and overall character. The description of this ‘virtuous and capable wife’ is quite phenomenal, actually. I’m glad he’s not describing the ‘virtuous and capable husband’ because I would fall far short of the mark. So here are attributes ascribed to the virtuous wife…
Trustworthy
Encourager
Uber DIYer
Provider
Early bird
Servant of all
Entrepreneur
Night owl
Strong character
Dignified
Laughs
No fear of the future
Full of wisdom
Awesome teacher
CEO CFO COO of the home
Industrious
Blessed
Dare I comment? Sure…here goes. I believe this best describes the character of women in general. Women reveal a side of God that is rarely talked about, mainly because we ascribe the pronoun ‘he’ to God. Seriously?? I think so. So I’m going to let you take a peek inside my mind (I know, scary!). Imagine with me if from the time the first of the sacred writings of the Bible, the pronoun ‘she’ was used for God. Would our view of God be the same or different? I just wonder. Now I’m not saying we should rewrite Scripture or anything like that. I’m just asking the question. The way I see it, if all of humanity is created in the image of God, then the attributes of God include the attributes of women.
By the way, I am firm believer that women have within them a strength that is noble, honourable, and gives humanity hope for the future. Throughout history, women have lived in a world where it is commonly understood that they are just a little bit less than men, and in some cultures, they are way less then men. Men may say that women are equal, but actions always speak louder than words. And then we have the church…
I’m always puzzled by the reality that as I read the gospels, never is Jesus depicted in word or actions that women are anything but equal with men. But then Jesus saw all of humanity on level ground. Greatness for Jesus is being the servant of all. Being great in the Kingdom of God has nothing to do with physical strength or gender. Greatness is based on a posture of humility.
Here it is, 2017 and believe it or not we have in North America, Evangelical denominations that state that the Bible instructs that women are equal in value to men…however, their roles are different from men, and specifically, the role of pastor is assigned to men. Huh?? How can you be equal on one hand, but on the other hand, not permitted to serve in a particular role? And this is the type of ‘stuff’ women live with day in and day out, century after century.
To all the women out there, there is coming a day when…
28 Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:
29 “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
31 Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
Here, here!!
