Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” ~ Proverbs 31:28-29
I love these two verses! For me, they are among the most encouraging in Scripture … because they hold such a promise. On the days when laundry is piled high, dishes are never ending, chaos is overwhelming, noise is deafening, and life is simply too much, I find myself thinking of these verses and knowing that it’s all worth it.
The exhaustion of parenting and the sacrifice of marriage are blessings.
I have a plaque with these verses on it. It sits atop my bookshelf with all the parenting books I love. Why there? Because I need that perspective! I need to be reminded that today isn’t always … that this season of life will end and a new season will bring new challenges and new joys. I believe Mrs. P31 understood that.
When we consider that Proverbs 31:10-31 are not a daily “To Do List” but instead a retrospective of a life lived well, the promise of this blessing become even more precious. Why did her children rise up and call her blessed? And her husband? I believe, based on all we’ve learned about Mrs. P31 so far, it is because she grasped this one truth:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
We end Proverbs with an example of the life lived by the truths shared at the beginning of Proverbs. A woman – a busy woman – who was wise and blessed because she knew the Lord and lived in obedience to His calling on her life.
She juggled all the tasks of the days and years not in her own strength and abilities but in fear of the Lord. Awe of Him, service to Him, love for Him. She cared for those in her home and those outside it. She used her abilities to bless her family and others. She spoke with kindness and lived wisely.
Her life declared one simple truth: She was rare and of great value – to her family, to her community, and to the Lord. That, dear friends, is a life worthy of blessing.
When I married my husband, I made a poster of the Proverbs 31:10-31 verses as a pledge to him and God. Of course, I’ve struggled (and sometimes still do) with feeling unworthy and therefore held these verses up as a standard I *must* reach. And I can’t. I fail. But, that’s where grace comes in. Of course I’m going to fail on my own. Only in the past few years have I really begun to learn what you stated about knowing the truth of Proverbs 1:7. As much as I ache to be this woman for my husband, the purpose behind it all is growing in my grace-given relationship with God.
I’m thankful to be learning more and more about this over the past few years, and have much more learning to go.
All of these Proverbs 31 posts are helping me even more with that. Thanks, ladies.