That Woman/Book Winner

 

Every time I hear her mentioned I sigh! I’m happy for her but still I sigh. She’s a marvelous woman, everything she does turns out well.  She is talented, organized and kind. Always ready to help someone in need. She’s the woman many of us long to be like but some of us, if we are honest, wish she would go away.

I find I compare myself to her, holding her up as the gold standard, wanting to be That Woman but knowing that I am far from being her. I call her Miss Perfect. The list of her talents and accomplishments seem never ending.

I’m referring to the woman mentioned in the last chapter of Proverbs, aka The Proverbs 31 woman. She doesn’t even have a name but we all know her. The NIV titles the section Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character and the Message titled it Hymn To A Good Wife.

I read the long list of all that this noble and good wife does and that she does it all with a smile. I admire her but I don’t like her.  She is nothing like me and I feel inadequate in her presence. I would like to be her and see what perfection looks like for a day but we know that isn’t going to happen.

Then I remember we are not meant to be a carbon copy of her. We don’t have to beat ourselves over the head because we are not skilled in sewing or knitting or any other homemaker talents, not even cooking. I have never bought a field or planted a garden though I do have a friend who grows her own vegetables. Nope! I go to the grocery store like most people and as for cooking, well my husband loves to cook and I help with the prep and cleanup.

She is not there in Proverbs for us to compare our skill set to hers but rather it is the essence of who she is that should inspire us. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I like to break things down to a manageable size. Here is my Proverbs 31 woman in a nut shell.

She is a God fearing, hard working, trust worthy, generous, kind woman who has something worthwhile to say. 

Now that we have taken away the skills set and broken it down; You and I can be That Woman.  How you may ask? Two verses in this chapter comes to mind.

“She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.”

I love that she sees the value of her contribution. Sometimes as women we devalue our work as wives, mothers, and homemakers. No matter our home situation we all want to think what we do for our families is of value. There is only one you as there is only one me, what we do and how we do it is unique. No one else can care for our family the way we do.

” Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.

To live in the Fear-of-God does not mean we are to be fearful of Him. That does not make a good father and daughter relationship. We cannot live thinking he is going to punish us every time we failed to live up to the skills of our Proverbs 31 woman. If that was the case He would be beating me over the head several times a day.

To live in Fear-of-God is to hold him in awe, respecting His position as the one and only true God and that He is the creator and we are the created. To give Him praise, honor and rightful place as first in our hearts. It is accepting that we are nothing without Him and that He loves us like no other can…not even our parents. It is realizing He has good plans and that He wants us to be part of it.

So no more sighing or comparing ourselves to That Woman. The beauty of the Proverbs 31 woman is that she is for all women no matter their marital status. She is confident in God and she is confident in what He had placed in her hands to do.

We can honor God by living our everyday ordinary lives being the woman He has called us to be.  Doing the everyday ordinary things that He has placed in hands to do knowing there is worth in them.

And now….the winner of the Giveaway!

Thank you to all who took part in the book giveaway and welcome to all our new friends to Grace Lace and Polkadots. I hope you will continue to visit often and please always feel free to leave a comment and share the post with a friend. Just a heads up if you would like to receive Grace Lace and Polkadots directly into your inbox simply complete the Follow Blog via Email section, that way you will never miss a post.

Drum Roll please…..the winner of the signed copy of Here Comes the Bride by Sue Angel is: Kerri Conway Seigrist. Congratulations Kerri, I’ll PM you for your mailing address.

Until next week

Helena

Looking to Jesus. Living in His Radiance.