Sunday Reflection | The Proverbs 31 Woman I Knew🤍

“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” — Proverbs 31:25

I think Proverbs 31 can feel a little intimidating sometimes.

You read about this woman who works hard, takes care of her home, provides for her family, speaks with wisdom, helps others, fears the Lord, and somehow seems to have it all together.

Meanwhile, some of us are just struggling to keep up with the laundry..

But the older I get, the more I realize I don't think Proverbs 31 is describing a woman who never gets tired, never struggles, or never gets anything wrong.

I think it's describing the direction of her heart.

A woman who loves her family deeply.

Who isn't afraid of hard work.

Who tries to use what God has given her well.

Who speaks with kindness.

Who serves people without needing recognition for it.

And above everything else, a woman whose life points back to God.

When I think about that kind of woman, I think about my Aunt Sue.

She passed away the day before Thanksgiving last year, and there are still moments when I can't imagine her not being here on earth.

Aunt Sue never needed to be the loudest person in a room. She was soft-spoken, sweet, gentle, and kind. She and my Uncle Joe never had children of their own, but they poured so much love into us. They took my cousin and I to church, and she made sure that faith was part of my childhood.

At the time, I couldn't possibly understand how important that would become.

I do now.

She didn't have to preach a sermon to teach me about God. She lived her faith in the way she loved people. There was never any question about Who she belonged to.

And I think that's one of the greatest things a woman can leave behind.

Not a perfect house.

Not a perfect life.

Not accomplishments or things.

A life that makes someone else want to know Jesus.

Now that I'm raising daughters of my own, Proverbs 31 means something different to me. I want my girls to see a woman who works hard and dreams big, absolutely. But more than that, I want them to see a woman who loves God. Who gets things wrong and asks forgiveness. Who serves her family. Who is kind when kindness isn't convenient. Who keeps coming back to her faith when life gets heavy.

I want them to have the kind of memories of me that I have of Aunt Sue.

And I have a long way to go.

But maybe becoming a Proverbs 31 woman isn't something that happens all at once.

Maybe it's built in ordinary days.

In meals made.

Prayers whispered.

Children loved.

People cared for.

Work done faithfully.

Kind words spoken when nobody else will ever remember them.

Small acts of faithfulness that, over a lifetime, become a legacy.

And if I can leave even a piece of that kind of legacy behind for my girls, I'll consider this life very well lived.

And for my Aunt Sue, I know heavens gates were busted wide open for her return home. And for that, I will rejoice.

Love Always,

Fowler Homestead

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” — Proverbs 31:30 🤍