Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:30-31)

It’s a strange time in our country now. There are many notions of gender and gender roles flying around. As a kid growing up in the 70’s I was surrounded by women’s empowerment. We were the generation that could “bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan.”

My mother was one of the few moms that stayed home with the kids. By the time I made that choice it was actually frowned upon.

By the time my kids reached adulthood, they were repeating what they heard in college and on social media: that Christians believed in the subjugation of women. They suggested that to get married, stay home and raise children was wasting a woman’s true potential for happiness in life.

To me, however, a strong, independent woman who is entrepreneurial, nurtures her family, has compassion for the needy, speaks with wisdom, is resourceful, radiates inner beauty and exhibits a love for the Lord, is a woman who is definitely reaching her potential. That is the woman who is described in Proverbs 31:10-31, a chapter that celebrates the value of a wife and mother – a value beyond rubies!

I definitely recommend you read the whole thing, but here are some of the highlights:

Entrepreneurial – she is forward thinking as she combines her creativity, skills and hard work to make a profit. (vs 13-19)

Homemaker – she runs her household wisely and nurtures her family. She makes winter garments, bedspreads and fine clothes. (vs 12,14-15, 21-22, 27)

Service – she serves the poor and needy and helps with charitable endeavors. (v 20)

Dignified – she has inner strength, and she knows when to hold her tongue and when to speak. And when she does, she gives wise and kind advice. (v 26)

Resourceful – she is ingenious about getting the most out of what she has, and she saves and makes plans for the future. (vs 21,24,25)

Inner Beauty – she doesn’t rely on charm or good looks, but instead radiates an inner beauty that comes from her deep faith. (vs 30)

Righteous – she is praised for her virtue, her love of the Lord and her desire to serve Him. (vs 10,29,30-31)

This is not a picture of a woman who is a slave to her husband or weighed down by family life. She runs the household, earns money, gives to the poor, is respected in the community, gives wise counsel and keeps plenty busy while looking good and praising the Lord.

Personally, I have met many of these women at our church. I’m not so sure our church or the community could function without them. They don’t all stay-at-home, they don’t all have husbands or children, and they certainly don’t all wear purple, but they do all radiate an inner beauty that is impossible to miss.

I can’t say where our culture is headed, and I certainly can’t speak for all women. But when I became a Christian as an adult, I looked for guidance as to how to live a godly life as a woman, a wife and a mom. The advice I found in the Bible, particularly in Proverbs 31, has served me well and led to a full and fulfilling life. I have found that God cherishes women and elevated their status and value despite the reality of a patriarchal world culture for most of history.

But beyond that, God values and cherishes all people - male, female, non-binary, all races, all ages, all nationalities, all identities. He has given us His Son to make salvation open to every single person on the planet, and He has given us His Word to help us find Him and to learn how to live in a way that will bring us the most purpose, the most joy, the most fulfillment, and bring Him the most glory. The choice to embrace or ignore all that is up to us.

Blessings,

Jen