Over the last few years and especially the last few weeks, we have read, heard, and seen the value of women in ministry. I am so thankful we live in a time where women are enjoying exercising their freedom to share God’s Word (see Acts 2:17). God has crafted our hearts uniquely to grab onto different passions. Each person is energized by different situations, roles, or experiences. Some feel energized by teaching, others by writing, and some by entrepreneurship, and the list goes on. Regardless, God has created you with a passion and entrusted you with the work of His hands. I am so thankful for the many women in my life that display strength and dignity as they lead forward.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.
Proverbs 31:25
As you and I lead, whether in a corporation, a school, the home, or outside the home, our goal should be to clothe ourselves with the inner beauty spoken of in Proverbs 31–strength, dignity, and the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 31:25-26, 30).
Yes, strength and dignity are two of the Proverb 31 woman’s greatest virtues, but the secret to these great character traits is that she fears the Lord—she is found faithful to her God.
Oh, isn’t this our desire as women in the twenty-first century to live life with courage and virtue, and wear these qualities in a way which brings glory to God?
What are some ways you and I can wear strength and dignity? There are many ways, but here are a few:
- Be found trustworthy (Proverbs 31:11)
- Work with your hands (Proverbs 31: 13, 17)
- Care for your household (Proverbs 31: 15, 21,17)
- Instruct with kindness (Proverbs 31:26)
- Show hospitality (Proverbs 31:20)
You and I will not always wear these qualities perfectly, but it’s worth consistently trying to live a life of honor. In reality, the Proverb’s woman is not about being perfect, but living life with purpose and caring for those that have been entrusted to us.
Don’t you and I want to be women that are: identifiably different, instinctively powerful, and infinitely valuable? This doesn’t happen by accident. This happens by continually seeking the Lord for direction and tapping into the Holy Spirit’s wisdom.
This might seem radical, but bringing every thought, idea, and decision to God will help you live with a strength beyond your own power and wear an unbending dignity that represents our Savior. You and I want to be recognized as women who love God with all our heart, soul, and strength (Matt 22:37).
And because we can be women which live life with this in mind, we can laugh at the future. We can laugh at the inevitable aging because (hopefully) we don’t think like the women of the world who worship beauty and youth. We desire to grow spiritually and in wisdom. We trust God and lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
Will there be times when we don’t understand what is happening in the world or why a particular situation happened? Yes, and we will be found asking, why God?
This is a natural response to many unanswered questions. However, may we be faithful with trusting God and know He holds the future and we can walk into that future—when you and I fear God, we don’t have to fear the future. The fear of God helps take away the worries of this world and the unanswered questions.
Journey on, dear sister, in the strength of the Lord and trust Him with your days.
Journeying with Him,
Jessie