Sunday, February 28, 2010

Proverbs

I read alot out of the book of Proverbs. It has many verses on just daily living that I really enjoy. My favorite chapter however is Proverbs 31. I have always wanted to be a Proverbs 31 woman. The whole chapter talks about her role as a woman, wife and mother and how in each role she is outstanding and hard working. My favorite verse is Proverbs 31:28-29 "Her children praise her and with great pride her husband says, "There are many good women, but you are the best!"" I have met many Proverbs 31 women. I can spot them by the way their husbands look at them; such affection, appreciation, respect. I have always wanted Daniel to look at me that way. Oh, he was appreciative and respectful but his gaze was different than that of the men that look upon their wives as Proverbs 31 women. I realize marriage and life and spirituality is a journey so I started to pray that I would become that woman and to one day earn that kind of a gaze.

There is also another woman described in Proverbs. I will call her the Proverbs 5 woman. Have you ever read it? If not, I encourage you to stop and read it now. What a drastic difference!!

Over the last few months I have encountered many situations like mine or similar to mine from women close to me. Each time I hear another story, I feel angry. Since when is a wedding ring an invitation for a come-on? When did being a married man become "sexy"? Why does a single woman think she has ANY business contacting a married man at all? I am angry that women would do this to one another, angry that the Proverbs 5 woman even exists, and angry that Satan knows just how to use her. It's crazy to me that the Bible was written so many years ago but that the character of the Proverbs 5 woman was included, and since ALL the Bible is 100% true, I can stand firm in the fact that chapter 5 is truth. Somehow that gives me peace.

So to all the Proverbs 31 women out there, let me share something that I found liberating. In my readings I came across a chapter called 'The God who reclaims the sacred.' It talks of satan entering into sacred places, holy institutions. And you know his number one place of destruction is holy matrimony. We give vows, make promises, not only to one another but also to God and I'm sure satan has a smirk on his face just waiting to make a mess of something we treasure so deeply. But Jesus reclaims the holy. He will not sit silent long while satan rips the sacred. At the perfect moment Jesus will stand and speak and when He does, satan will stumble and fall silent. Just read the story about what happened in Gethsemane. (John 18) When Jesus speaks, satan falls. Take heart in knowing that Jesus will reclaim the holy. It might not look exactly how we thought it would, but Jesus will not fail us. I encourage all the Proverbs 31 women in my similar situation to cling to Jesus and leave the results up to Him.

2 comments:

Nikki McCallum said...

Brittany, I just want to give you a big hug. Your outlook on things and strength of the mind is truly amazing!

Brie said...

I absolutely agree that Satan is out to destroy marriage! I think I've prayed to be a proverbs 31 wife since Eric and I were engaged. On a lighter note, I've lately thought a lot about "her" when I'm up before and after the girls just to get the house clean. I think she HAD to rise early and stay up late and that it's not just a good quality but a neccesity in caring for my family. One day I hope Eric will look at me as that wife, I imagine it as happening later in our marriage, but more than that I hope that Jesus is pleased with me as His bride. I'm pretty sure He will look at YOU with that pleasure.