My Proverbs 31 Woman

“A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life.

When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed with scarlet.

She makes coverings for her bed;

she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

She is clothed in strength and dignity;

and can laugh at the days to come.

She watches over the affairs of her household,

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord, is to be praised.”

Proverbs 31:10-30 NIV

Today is Mother’s Day and although I am always happily looking forward to the attention that I will receive, this day has my mind racing back to my own mother, who has been deceased for many years.

Mom was nineteen years old when she married my Dad. From that time on until her death she gave her full attention to being a wife and mother. She raised her six children and loved her grandchildren. Even though Dad and Mom did not have a lot of financial resources and found themselves struggling during the depression, Mom still managed to keep her very small and simple home spotless and tidy. Mom washed and scrubbed clothes on a washboard; she fed each piece of clothing through a wringer, and then hung the clothes outside on a clothes line to dry. I venture to say that she may have had the whitest laundry in the entire county!

Mom was a seamstress. She made tablecloths, pillows and curtains for her home and she made all her own clothes and her children’s clothes as well. Mom was very resourceful as she used the printed fabric garden seed bags to sew the boy’s shirts and the girl’s dresses. The white cloth sacks that packaged the flour were turned into dish towels and curtains. Nothing was ever wasted! Socks were darned and buttons were replaced. The stitches of her handwork were very small and uniform and when necessary they were next to invisible.

Mom also baked delicious cakes, cookies and bread. I loved to watch her beat a cake batter by hand. Her steady hand whipped the batter in a bowl that was slanted at a dangerous angle resting on her lap. As I watched her beat the cake batter I was almost certain that the batter would end up spilling in her lap as she steadily beat and counted her strokes. Mom was also a wonderful cook and made a fantastic mouth watering pot roast. On Sundays the family would gather to share a wonderful meal. Other specialties were her fried fish and southern fried chicken. In addition her pies and cobblers were second to none! Cooking was something that she excelled in. Despite her meager monetary assets Mom knew how to make a holiday special with very little resources. There was always wonderful food and always a simple but pretty dinner table.

Mom’s teachings were based on biblical principles. Her words were loving and kind. But most importantly, Mom held her entire family in her prayers on a daily basis. She was indeed a Proverbs 31 woman. Mother went home to be with the Lord at the early age of sixty-eight after a long battle with cancer. I will always remember Mom as a soft-spoken lady who never said a bad word about anyone! Mom’s faith was steady and sure. After Mom passed away, I found a small card in her wallet with a picture of Jesus. Under the picture was this motto:

“Only one life ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

- C. T. Studd

My mom lived a very simple life. She only had an eighth grade education, yet she always felt that she had been given the highest calling from God that any woman could be blessed to receive. That calling was to love God, love her family and teach them about Jesus and she did that very well. Her life on this earth is past but her faithfulness to Jesus Christ lives on in my memory. Thank you mom for teaching me how to accept and love Jesus, because now I know that knowing Jesus is truly the only thing that will last!

Today as I am remembering my own mother I am impressed that it is important that I too take this motto that she loved into my own heart. I am satisfied knowing that this calling and service can be lived out under the simplest of conditions and without fanfare or acclaim. Wherever my path may lead me it is my desire to finish this life well and when I leave this world I want to be remembered not as a super Proverbs 31 woman who could do anything and everything, but rather a Proverbs 31 woman who loved God, her family and others. Who lived knowing that only one life would soon be past, only what was done for Christ would last.” Thank you mom for being a great example!

Questions:

Are you conscious of the fact that “Only one life will soon be past, and only what’s done for Christ will last?”

Do you think that raising your family is a God given privilege and calling?

If you are single, who are the people that you are in contact with the most?

Are you living your life before others in such a way that when you are no longer living your example will leave a mark of eternal significance on their life because of your influence?

Do you realize that godly faith, kindness, humility, mercy, compassion, and love can be your greatest assets of influence?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for all of the people in my life who have been there for me. I am especially thankful for those who have influenced and encouraged me to pursue Jesus Christ. As a mother I am blessed to have the awesome responsibility of training up my children in the way that they should go. Lord, today I pray a special blessing on all the women whose arms are empty and desire to have a child. I pray also that all men and women, married or single, will remember that they too have a blessed calling to be people of eternal influence to all that are within their circle of influence. God help me to remember that only one life will soon be past, and only what’s done for Christ will last.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.