A friend of mine did a Bible study on the Proverbs 31 woman where she was asked to apply the scripture to her own life. As per her suggestion, I too would like to do this. I would also like to encourage other woman to look at the example set forth in the Bible of The Virtuous Wife and apply it to your lives as well:
The Virtuous Wife
10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:29 “ Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.(Proverbs 31:10-31; NKJV)
I long to be a wife excellent in all ways; I know such a wife is considered very precious.
My husband puts his trust in me daily with our children and our home; making decisions that will prosper our family spiritually, financially, physically, emotionally and mentally.
I have vowed to love honor and cherish my husband. I love him dearly and want well for him.
I make sure our children are dressed, fed and clean. I do my part around the home to keep it tidy and in good working order.
I make my way to the grocery store when we need groceries and shop for bargains too.
I often work late into the morning to do my work on the internet which brings in some income that is a blessing to our whole family.
When the time comes for us to move, I make sure to consider carefully the location, the price, the schools and the efficiency of the home. With the profit of the prior home, I take and invest in the newer home to increase its value or provide us with more equity.
I want to become stronger in many aspects of my life. I take great satisfaction in my work and don’t sleep until I know things are finished in the home.
I hope to be of help to others in need and give financially where I feel led.
I am not worried about my family being vulnerable to adverse weather conditions since I know the means to pay our utilities have been put aside. Generally speaking, I make great effort to plan ahead so our family’s needs are met.
My clothing is modest by stylish and earned because of my effort to spend wisely.
My husband is very well respected and loyal in his workplace as well as in our home.
I hope my husband as well as others see me as someone who wants to be stronger, wiser and of good character.
I enjoy using my abilities for profit financially and to better myself as a person.
I seek wisdom and kindness. I watch that my family too seeks to be kind and become wise as well.
I try to make sure I’m supporting wholesome things.
My children respect me for the most part as they are taught to and my husband blesses and honors me.
I hope to stand out as a special woman in the eyes of my family, but most importantly God.
I know that charm is deceitful and that vanity fades.
I have a holy respect for God.
I humbly ask for God’s continued blessing in my life.
It isn’t as easy as I thought it might be to break down the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman and apply them to my own life. I seek to be like her, but I’m still not there. I wonder if my husband wouldn’t fit her character better than me? I encourage women reading this to take a piece of paper and apply the characteristics of The Virtuous Wife to your own life and then tuck it away. You might even want to do as I plan and take Proverbs 31:10-31 and set goals for yourself on becoming more like this woman. It will be interesting to go back after some time and reread what I’ve written here. I hope next time I sit and compare myself I’ll have some more definite comparisons than I have here.