“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Proverbs 31:25
Strong. It’s a word I always think of when I think about my mom. Her strength was evident by the way she handled life, death and all things in between. She wasn’t perfect, but she was strong.
The strength we see described in the Proverbs 31 woman is much more about her character than it is about her physical strength. It’s demonstrated well when a woman strengthens her arms, it’s demonstrated best when a woman strengthens her heart.
Strength is a beautiful thing when worn with dignity and when a woman is strong, she’s an ornament of grace.
Proverbs 31:25 not only unveils the strength of the illusive Mrs. P31, but it also reveals her confidence as well. Because she is strong, she is confident. Because she is confident, she is strong.
Strength doesn’t mean she is immune to the difficulties of this life – it means she’s confident enough to walk through them with grace.
And while readers of the Word have had the privilege of seeing the strength of Mrs. P31 on display throughout the centuries, we know that the strength which flowed so freely from her life found its wellsprings in her reverential fear of the Lord.
As we ponder the path of the strong Mrs. P31, let’s remember each footprint she left was graciously laced with dignity.
STRENGTH IS…
- Morally Upright
- Courageous
- Persevering
- Authoritative
- Influential
- Self-Controlled
- Confident
- Prepared
- Valiant
- Honorable
- Gracious
STRENGTH IS NOT…
- Stubborn
- Arrogant
- Rigid
- Forceful
- Condemning
- Indecisive
- Argumentative
- Harsh
I’m so glad my mom left a legacy of strength and dignity. I long to leave the same.
How about you? What kind of legacy are leaving? Is it one of strength? Is it one of dignity? The fact that she is clothed with strength and dignity begs the question…What are we wearing?
Today, as you consider the strength of the Proverbs 31 woman, will you examine your own strength through the lens of her life?
Proverbs 31:25 is one of my favorite verses within this chapter! Strength of the character as you’ve described it is beautiful, and it is s because it’s God-given. Great point about what strength is *not.* In fact, it TAKES strength (God’s strength!) to NOT be stubborn, argumentative, or harsh. Great words.
Caroline ~ I love how you defined it as “God-given strength” and I love that you remind us that it TAKES strength (God’s strength) to NOT be all the things strength is not. What a beautiful quality strength is when it’s worn with dignity!
So glad you’re digging with us! :-)
What a great challenge to take with me into the weekend, Stephanie. We know we’ll have opportunity daily to respond with strength or weakness, but we can clothe ourselves with Christ’s strength one decision at a time.
Julie ~ I LOVE how you put that! It is SO “one decision at a time” isn’t it! Love you heart! :-)
Thank you for another great word Stephanie. I had a struggle this morning with my oldest son (18 yrs old). He’s a pretty amazing kid, with an extraordinary heart for God, yet, I found myself this morning questioning myself as “mom.” From his perspective, as he’s trying to find his independence and place in this world, and even though he’s serving in ministry as I type these words, his Momma isn’t on the top of his “Most Admired and Appreciated” list. I had to quickly employ 2 Corinthians 10:5 this morning and capture those self-defeating thoughts. I was encouraged by your list of “What Strength Is” and what it is not. ;-) My hope and prayer is that my precious son (as well as my other two Kiddos) will see these traits in his Momma when he rounds the age 25ish, and perhaps he might even humbly admit that these traits were really there all along. Who knows. I can hope and pray, right? ;-)
Shelly ~ I love how you so transparently share your real life circumstances with real life women who need real life answers!
One day…hopefully before he’s 25ish, your sweet son will rise up and called you blessed! And so will the other kiddos! :-)
As always Stephanie I love reading your heart and wisdom. Love you girl.!
Angela ~ Thanks so much for the sweet words! You shine for Jesus, my friend! Hope one day we get to meet up again! :-)
Thank you Stephanie for your encouraging words. I love Proverbs 31 and would love to be that woman. I often feel discouraged when reading it because I have such a long way to go. I have found that 1 Cor. 13: 4-8 gives me the focus I need for this. A few years ago I read that spending time in this ‘love’ passage every day for a month would be life and action changing. Iti’s true. I think the sweetest confirmation of this was when I saw a note in my growns son’s Bible next to vs 28 “her children rise up and bless her”. The note in his Bible simply read “mama”.
Carol ~ I love how you brought in the correlation between ‘love’ and ‘strength’! And your son’s note brought tears to my eyes! What a beautiful affirmation of who you are to those who know you best!