God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello!

Many people tell me that the Bible is too old to have any value in our lives today; that it can’t possibly provide wisdom for today’s world. Unfortunately, those people refuse to open the Bible in order to glean wisdom from our omniscient Lord.

The Bible actually contains wisdom for all facets of life and topics range from marriage, child rearing, taking care of a household,  dealing with fear/anxiety,  running a business,  health/diet, lawsuits and many more.  The more you read the Bible the more wisdom you will gain from this timeless book. Taking that wisdom and then applying it to your life is when the magic happens! You will find that your life runs more smoothly and if you are obedient to the Scriptures long enough, you will find that you seem to escape the typical societal/secular problems others have to deal with.

Today I want to reveal what the Bible has to say about women.  The last chapter in Proverbs- Chapter 31- is fairly well known in Christian circles. If you call someone a “Proverbs 31 woman” it means a woman committed to her family and her work. The chapter is called “The description of a worthy woman.” I will paraphrase the Scripture in bold, and I will explain what each sentence means.

A Worthy Woman (Proverbs 31)

She brings good and happiness to her husband and not evil- If a woman is a wife, she brings contentment to her husband and is careful not to act in any way that would bring dishonor or disgrace to the family.

She works with her hands in delight-she finds work that is enjoyable and not drudgery.

She rises while it is still night to give food to her household- she wakes up before her children to prepare for the day including planning the meals- which many times, is the task of the wife/mother.

She makes wise purchases and uses them to earn money and then uses the money to continue to help provide for her family- she carefully chooses what she buys and her purchases enhance the family in some way.

She is strong and not weak from working-  she has a proper work life balance- she isn’t excessively stressed or overworked while she is contributing to the household.

She helps those in need- she looks beyond her family to help others.

She is not afraid of cold weather for she has thought ahead and has prepared for it- she plans ahead and anticipates the needs of her family.

She has strength and dignity and she smiles at the future- she is connected to the Lord and therefore she has her priorities in line with His teachings. God then gives her the strength she needs to carry out her daily life with dignity and poise.

When she speaks it is filled with wisdom, and she teaches kindness- she reads Scripture and therefore her mind is filled with God’s timeless  wisdom and her heart full of  kindness which is exemplified by the way she lives and interacts with others.

She watches all those in her household and makes sure they have all that they need because she is never idle-she prioritizes her schedule around her family.

Her children and husband bless her- If she sets the example of having her life prioritized as the Bible teaches, she will be rewarded with respect from her family. We reap what we sow.

A woman who fears the Lord will be praised and so will her works. This is echoed in Deuteronomy Chapter 28, “If you follow my commandments and teachings…all that you touch will prosper and succeed.”

In a nutshell, this is a woman who puts taking care of her family, second only to her relationship with the Lord. This prioritization helps her home run smoothly and her family feel loved, cared for and respected.

Single moms like myself, have a more difficult time balancing the financial provision with nurturing our children with all of the essentials of family life. Higher income earners can choose to downsize a home and then work part time while bringing home enough income to cover all costs of the household. Downsizing a home and minimizing material goods brought into the home, are ways to cut costs so that a part time schedule is feasible.  For those women who are in jobs that require 50 hours per week- ask the Lord to guide you to a job with hours more fitting to family life. If you are committed to the Lord’s priorities, you can be sure He will lead you to a job that is best for you and your children. Praying in line with Scripture is a prayer the Lord answers!

(p.s. the Lord has standards for men as well- a well run family is not the sole responsibility of the woman- see next weeks post for men.)

All my best!

Lisa