A Good Woman - Part IV

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.  The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the fear of GOD.  Give her everything she deserves!  Festoon her life with praises!    (Proverbs 31:30-31)

In our last installment of "A Good Woman", let's turn to the closing verses of this Proverb.  Lemuel’s mom was absolutely “spot on” in her acknowledgement that beauty soon fades and that charm is a misleading thing.  Outer beauty is certainly not a negative thing, but it is definitely elusive at times and something that we probably focus on way too much in our society.  

I know that I am in good company with many other women who have their “bad hair days”, “nothing fits right moments”, and “this looks awful on me” kind of days.  We cover up, push up, bind up, doctor up, dress up – and we still are not happy with our outward appearances!  We look in our bulging closets and declare emphatically, “I have nothing to wear!”  We peruse the cosmetic counters looking for the “perfect” shade of lip color that will not wear off thirty seconds after we apply it.  We invest in undergarments that could double as weapons of warfare.  All in the pursuit of the elusive “beautiful” body – and all the while not even realizing the impact of the reflection of our inner heart on our outward appearance.

Lemuel’s mom summed it all up in the understanding that what makes a woman admirable and desirable is not the outward beauty or finest of physical adornments.  Thank you, Lord, there is hope for me!  It is the heart abandoned to God in deep, intimate relationship that brings out the beauty in a woman.  The time spent cultivating our inner woman in prayer, reading of the Word, journaling life lessons, learning at the feet of Jesus, is what makes us a thing of beauty.  

An admirable woman is desirable and attractive because she excites wonder, she encourages excellence, and she infuses life with surprise.  The wonder she creates is a direct result of the times of deep, intimate communion with the God of Wonder.  The excellence displayed in her own walk and the excellence that she brings into the lives of others is based on knowing the one who is holy and most excellent in every way.  The surprise exuded in her actions is a result of being intimately connected with the God of Creation. 

Becoming this type of woman is not an overnight transformation.  There is no “quick fix” to this development of character – it is accomplished in our daily business, in our daily interactions, and in our daily time with God.  It is as life is lived that we are transformed.  Little by little, we become the Proverbs 31 Woman.  

Homemaker, mother, business woman, or student – the possibilities of differences in our daily pursuits are endless.  In pursuit of becoming a Proverbs 31 Woman, we will do well to focus our attentions daily on embracing the grace of God in our lives, and allowing the Holy Spirit to develop those inner qualities of beauty that only God is capable of producing within us.  It is then, regardless of the title or occupational category the world would bestow upon us, we will indeed be called “A Woman of Worth” by those who know us deeply and find themselves affected by our touch, encompassed by our words and graced by our presence. Enjoy deeply the touch of God and take joy in enthusiastically passing on that touch to all your life touches.