Proverbs 31 Project: INTRO

 

I just turned 30 and naturally this means that I'm thinking more deeply and wisely about, well, pretty much everything (ha!).  But seriously...I have been thinking an awful lot about the wife, mother, friend, and daughter I want to be for the NEXT 30 years.  There is so much to learn, so much to become, so much to do, and I want to leave a legacy that is meaningful.  One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Proverbs 31, where Solomon's mother tells him what a Godly woman will look like.  I want my friends and family to look at my life and see what it means to be a woman in pursuit of Godliness. I want the man who is seeking me to see my life and instantly recognize me as a rare find, a unique woman whose heart and soul belong to the Lord.  I want my daughters to look at me and see an example of Godly femininity.  I want my sons to see me as a model for the women they hope will be their wives and the mothers of their children one day.  I want them to look at me and say, sincerely, ""Catherine, many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

There are a lot of self help books out there that tell you how to "be."  How to "be happy,"  how to "be a good parent," how to "get a man," how to "live your best life," how to "spot a loser," how to "be a true lady" or "be a real man" etc.  And I'm sure those are helpful & have their place, but I like to keep things simple. Fortunately the Bible already outlines a nice little bullet point list for Godly womanhood!   Sheila Graham writes: "When we examine Proverbs 31, this ancient biblical ideal of womanhood, we do not find the stereotyped housewife occupied with dirty dishes and laundry, her daily life dictated by the demands of her husband and her children. Nor do we find a hardened, overly ambitious career woman who leaves her family to fend for itself. What we find is a strong, dignified, multitalented, caring woman who is an individual in her own right."

For the next 12 months, I'm going to focus on one of these character traits per month, and blog about it.  The goal of course is to build trait upon trait, not to abandon one and adopt another each month. Each month I'll also read a book about that month's particular trait, just to reinforce my thought processes and to inspire me re: practical ways to incorpoate the trait into my character & my life.

There are 17 points in the passage, but some are so similar that they are easy to combine into one principle, and that's what I'll do in 5 cases.

November: NOBLE & VIRTUOUS CHARACTER (SET A FIRM FOUNDATION!)

December: RELIABLE, RESPONSIBLE IN WORK; ORGANIZED, ENERGETIC, INDUSTRIOUS

January: RELIABLE, DEPENDABLE IN CHARACTER; JOYFUL, STRENGTH & HONOR ARE THEMES IN HER LIFE & SHE LOOKS FORWARD TO THE FUTURE WITH HOPE & JOY

February: PLANS AHEAD, HARD WORKER, AVERTS CRISISES & STRESSFUL CRUNCHES WITH WISE PREPARATION

March: GOES THE EXTRA MILE FOR QUALITY & MEANINGFULNESS, NOT AFRAID OF PERSONAL SACRIFICE OR INCONVENIENCE

April: SETS THE PACE AT HOME AND AT WORK, MANAGES PEOPLE AND TIME RESPONSIBLY; HER EFFORTS AND INDUSTRIOUSNESS CONTRIBUTE TO AND/OR HELP TO MANAGE THE HOUSEHOLD FINANCES

May: LOGICAL, ANALYZES WISELY BEFORE MAKING DECISIONS, DEPENDABLY WISE; KNOWN AS A SOURCE OF SOUND ADVICE

June: TAKES PRIDE IN HER WORK & HER ROLE, RECOGNIZES HER VALUE, SELF-CONFIDENT; NOT A DOORMAT - SHE IS HONORED IN HER HOME, SHE AND HER FAMILY TEACH AND MODEL LOVE AND RESPECT BY EXAMPLE

July: WELL-READ, ABLE TO EXPRESS HERSELF INTELLIGENTLY, TACTFULLY & DIPLOMATICALLY; DEVELOPS SKILLS & TALENTS THROUGH EDUCATION & DILIGENT APPLICATION

August: CARES FOR OTHERS, SERVES THE POOR & NEEDY IN A TANGIBLE & MEANINGFUL WAY

September: HAS HIGH STANDARDS FOR HER PERSONAL APPEARANCE, CARRIES HERSELF WITH DIGNITY, GRACE, & FEMININITY

October: SUPPORTS HER MAN & MAKES IT EASY FOR HIM TO LIVE HONORABLY & FULFILL HIS DUTIES, MAKES HIM LOOK GOOD

The end notes to the passage really wrap things up nicely, and are just as meaningful as the points themselves.  Graham observes:

"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." High praise for this extraordinary woman — a role model for women of all time.

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Here is the key to this woman’s effectiveness. Her priorities are determined by God’s will, not her own. She is concerned about what God thinks, rather than with what other people think.

Physical beauty and clever conversation are admirable qualities. But if a woman’s beauty and charm are the extent of her virtues, what happens when time and the trials of life take their toll? This woman does not depend on beauty and charm for her success. She recognizes her need for God.

"Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." This woman is actively doing, not merely talking. She does not boast about her plans for the future or her successes of the past. They are obvious.

My prayer is that I'll have the perserverance and deep-heart-desire to follow through on this.  I have trouble achieving long term goals like this unless they are truly important to me, and I need God to help me MAKE this project a priority in my life.  Along the way I'm going to stumble & fall, fail, have lazy days/moments, disappoint people & myself.  I know this. But the point is to grow, to move in the direction my Father is pulling me, until I reach the end of the race.  This is a key mile in my faith/life marathon.

Guys, you could do this too, you know. :)  Timothy beautifully outlines the characteristics of a Godly man (and I think my sisters will agree that the list is pretty on-target for what a Christian woman hopes for).  Stay tuned, and I'll toss out the guy's version of this tomorrow.  You know,  just in case anyone - male or female - is interested in actively pursuing a Biblical model along with me.

If you have suggestions for books I could read to correspond with each of these months, please leave a comment.  Most urgently, for November I want a great book about holiness & virtue, ideally but not necessarily geared toward women.  THANKS!

 

 

Comments

[Summer]

I like this! Proverbs 31 has been on my heart recently as well and it is too easy for me to look at it as a performance based list and not in this way. I think I might do this as well and follow along with you to help me to get out of the performance mindset. :)

[C]

Yay, do it! Did you see Sara Cummin's comment on my post below? If a book per month is too much, look on here for articles and excerpts I'll post, things that you can read in just a few minutes to illuminate each principle. :) I purposely saved the outward appearance etc. for the end of the project. I believe the holiness and discipline practiced in the beginning will go a long way in producing TRUE beauty from within, and then the outward glow & grace should naturally follow! :)

[julie emmitt]

I am so proud of you!! I think you will be blessed in doing this, and you will bless many by doing this blog!! I love Proverbs 31!! I studied it right before I got married and started having my children. It is my foundation for my life, marriage, raising children, and now grandchildren. Praying for you as you take on this awesome endeavor!!

[D]

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