A Woman of Influence: Prov. 31

[enoob57]

Trick 'IS' to love exactly where God Has brought us into being With Him -male, female, rich, poor, pretty, pretty ugly...

as Holiness is not the evaluation of ourselves to others but His of us >.<

then if this 'IS' so= we will be beautiful in His Pleasure of us!!! Love, Steven

[Guest LadyC]

GE, you're right, the other qualities are at least as important.. i'm not sure any of them is "more" important than any other. i think they're pretty much equal in God's eyes.

the reason i zeroed in on one aspect is because even though the subject of a virtuous woman can be discussed separately from working, the subject (among christians) of women who work outside the home is nearly impossible to separate from provebs 31. just ask any woman on these boards.... it's probably something that as a man, you've never noticed. but as a woman we're nearly brutalized on a daily basis (not just here, but among our christian peers everywhere) for supposedly violating the qualities of godliness if we work while our children are young. and proverbs 31 is used almost exclusively to back up the position that a woman should be at home. (which is great, but it's not always economically feasible!)

it may have been something i should have created a new thread for instead of trying to draw attention to one aspect. sorry.

[GoldenEagle]

GE, you're right, the other qualities are at least as important.. I’m not sure any of them is "more" important than any other. I think they're pretty much equal in God's eyes.

the reason i zeroed in on one aspect is because even though the subject of a virtuous woman can be discussed separately from working, the subject (among Christians) of women who work outside the home is nearly impossible to separate from proverbs 31. just ask any woman on these boards.... it's probably something that as a man, you've never noticed. but as a woman we're nearly brutalized on a daily basis (not just here, but among our Christian peers everywhere) for supposedly violating the qualities of godliness if we work while our children are young. and proverbs 31 is used almost exclusively to back up the position that a woman should be at home. (which is great, but it's not always economically feasible!)

it may have been something i should have created a new thread for instead of trying to draw attention to one aspect. sorry.

Hey LadyC… I am a guy so you are right… So I’m looking at this passage from a guy’s perspective.

Feel free to discuss this topic (women working) on this thread as I believe it is related and not off-topic. My previous post was simply an opinion. Perhaps I didn’t clarify sister.

Sometimes threads are not a straight line but more of an ebb and flow. Seeking God's truth together is the main thing...

How do you feel when a woman is told she is to stay at home to be a godly woman?

Some other questions that come to mind I’d like to open up for anyone to answer…

A. What of single women or widows? How are they to make a living and care for their family if they don’t work outside the home?

B. Say that a husband’s job (not too far off in this economy) doesn’t cover all the bills. Is a woman to stay at home even though she could find (part-time or full-time) work to help with the finances?

God bless,

GE

[nebula]

I don't mind these parts

A. Her Assets:

She is trustworthy (v. 11)

She is a positive influence (v. 12)

She is a hard worker (v. 13, 14, 19, 24-27)

She is protective (v. 27)

B. Her Achievements

She meets the needs of her home (v. 15)

She helps her husband become successful. (v. 23)

C. Her Attitudes

Delightful (v. 13)

Compassionate (v. 20)

Unselfish (v. 20)

D. Her Applause

From her family (v. 28)

From her husband (v. 28, 29)

From God's Word (v. 30)

From her works (v. 31)

But I have a problem with these parts:

A. Her Assets:

She is a planner (v. 21, 22)

B. Her Achievements

She invests for her household (v. 16)

She keeps herself in shape (v. 17)

C. Her Attitudes

Healthy (v. 18)

Public (v. 25)

I'm not skilled at planning.

I'm not a financial wizard

I'm not athletically inclined

I have health issues that can't be healed naturally

I'm introverted

Can any woman possibly be this super-woman described here?

P.S. When does she have time to relax, pamper herself, play with the children, play with her husband?

[Guest LadyC]

GE, how do i feel when a woman is told she has to stay home to be godly? NOW i feel like an angry bear! but until recently, i was very ambivalent. i thought it was probably true according to scripture, i felt frustrated that it's so difficult for many women to achieve that level of "godliness", and i felt God was uncaring and unfair. i also felt guilty for not measuring up, worthless because it was just one more area where i'd failed God and my family, and indignant that anyone would dare criticize me for something i had no control over. i spent nearly a decade as a single mom. during that time i worked full time, and for a year and a half i home-schooled the children by day and worked by night.

these days i'm married, my children are grown, and i find myself wishing i had kids in the house to give me an excuse not to work outside the home! and i wish i were more business minded and diligent with making my jewelry so that maybe i could make/sell that full time and not have to work a real job to help pay the bills.

[Guest LadyC]

I don't mind these parts

A. Her Assets:

She is trustworthy (v. 11)

She is a positive influence (v. 12)

She is a hard worker (v. 13, 14, 19, 24-27)

She is protective (v. 27)

B. Her Achievements

She meets the needs of her home (v. 15)

She helps her husband become successful. (v. 23)

C. Her Attitudes

Delightful (v. 13)

Compassionate (v. 20)

Unselfish (v. 20)

D. Her Applause

From her family (v. 28)

From her husband (v. 28, 29)

From God's Word (v. 30)

From her works (v. 31)

But I have a problem with these parts:

A. Her Assets:

She is a planner (v. 21, 22)

i'm sure God knows we all 'plan' differently. i plan more by the seat of my pants than in any organized manner. the actual text of the scripture reads that she has no fear of winter because her household is clothed in scarlet (NKJV) or with warm clothes (NLT). i think the nkjv is more accurate, and has nothing to do with clothes. i think it is referring to her dedication to covering the family with the blood (of sacrifice and burnt offerings back then, but with the blood of Jesus now.)

B. Her Achievements

She invests for her household (v. 16)

the scripture reads she considers a field and buys it. not every wife is going to want or need to buy a field. the issue is really about good stewardship with the household finances. whether you're investing in the ingredients for a meal or an acre of land, God expects us to do so wisely.

She keeps herself in shape (v. 17)

LOL, Golden Eagle's male perspective is shining through, isn't it? i really am not intending to nullify anything he said... when he reads the scripture, how he worded the qualities is what he envisioned when he read them. the same thing can mean different things. in verse 17, it doesn't say she goes to the gym to work out, it says she gird herself with strength, and a hard worker. you strengthening of arms can be metaphorical too, as in nurturing and comforting. while it's easy to think of those as physical qualities, it can also mean mental or emotional abilities as well. i know that your brain is never idle. you're a smart woman, and you use your abilities.

C. Her Attitudes

Healthy (v. 18)

verse 18 says she perceives her merchandise as good and her lamp burns bright even at night. to me that doesn't scream "healthy", at least not in the sense that immediately comes to mind. but taking pride in one's work and making sure it's of high quality IS a healthy attitude, no matter what kind of work you do.

Public (v. 25)

i'm not sure why public is the quality attributed to this verse. it actually says "Strength and honor areher clothing;

She shall rejoice in time to come."

I'm not skilled at planning.

I'm not a financial wizard

I'm not athletically inclined

I have health issues that can't be healed naturally

I'm introverted

Can any woman possibly be this super-woman described here?

P.S. When does she have time to relax, pamper herself, play with the children, play with her husband?

ahhhh.... that happens after the kids are grown and gone, i'm afraid!

[enoob57]

I don't mind these parts

A. Her Assets:

She is trustworthy (v. 11)

She is a positive influence (v. 12)

She is a hard worker (v. 13, 14, 19, 24-27)

She is protective (v. 27)

B. Her Achievements

She meets the needs of her home (v. 15)

She helps her husband become successful. (v. 23)

C. Her Attitudes

Delightful (v. 13)

Compassionate (v. 20)

Unselfish (v. 20)

D. Her Applause

From her family (v. 28)

From her husband (v. 28, 29)

From God's Word (v. 30)

From her works (v. 31)

But I have a problem with these parts:

A. Her Assets:

She is a planner (v. 21, 22)

B. Her Achievements

She invests for her household (v. 16)

She keeps herself in shape (v. 17)

C. Her Attitudes

Healthy (v. 18)

Public (v. 25)

I'm not skilled at planning.

I'm not a financial wizard

I'm not athletically inclined

I have health issues that can't be healed naturally

I'm introverted

Can any woman possibly be this super-woman described here?

P.S. When does she have time to relax, pamper herself, play with the children, play with her husband?

Yeah but strangely enough we love ya

[OneLight]

May I highly suggest that we review Proverbs according to the culture of the time. Much has changed since then. To me, a virtuous woman is one whose heart is after Gods heart and is fully open to His will in her life. The same could be said about a man,

Now, how did this go from a woman of influence, as the title stated, to a virtuous one?

[GoldenEagle]

But I have a problem with these parts:

A. Her Assets:

She is a planner (v. 21, 22)

B. Her Achievements

She invests for her household (v. 16)

She keeps herself in shape (v. 17)

C. Her Attitudes

Healthy (v. 18)

Public (v. 25)

I'm not skilled at planning.

I'm not a financial wizard

I'm not athletically inclined

I have health issues that can't be healed naturally

I'm introverted

Can any woman possibly be this super-woman described here?

P.S. When does she have time to relax, pamper herself, play with the children, play with her husband?

I shared my OP with my wife. She said something similar Nebula. The Proverbs 31 woman perhaps is a role model instead what every woman truly is? More of an aspiration... Funny thing is she said the woman was a super-woman as well... I didn't mean to offend anyone.

God bless,

GE

[OldShep]

May I highly suggest that we review Proverbs according to the culture of the time. Much has changed since then. To me, a virtuous woman is one whose heart is after Gods heart and is fully open to His will in her life. The same could be said about a man,

Now, how did this go from a woman of influence, as the title stated, to a virtuous one?

Think that you have hit the nail on the head with your idea of looking at the culture of the time.

As one who has lived in a family of hard working men and women, I have seen a decline in the over all health, strength, and willingness to for go self for the family, over the years. Not many women or men raise before dawn to work taking care of farm animals, milking cow, feeding live stock, ect.ect.. before taking care of themselves. There is a lot to the old saying " Early to bed early to raise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." The daily bible reading and the thanking of God for what we have, has, been replace by the microwave oven and instance pudding..Running a family is a team effort by all in the family..some good with planning and money and some good with planning, designing and building..supporting each others not ripping them down.

Today many people want what they want now and do not really want to work for it...

As for myself, I have slowed down over the past couple of years and I do believe rigamortis is starting to set in, for this stone has indeed collected some moss. Lately, I have been questioning the amount of time spent in front of this machine, it is useful, yet also seem to be a source of something other then what is healthy for the soul at times...

Dennis