A Good Woman Is . . .

A Good Woman Is . . .

10Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. 11Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. 12She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. . . . 25She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. 26When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. 27She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. 28Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: 29“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” 30Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. 31Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Proverbs 31:10-12, 25-31

Many women today have come to a difficult crossroads. Some “career women” regret not devoting more time to their kids; some “stay-at-home moms” regret not having a career.

A wise woman will give serious thought to Proverbs 31. Contrary to popular belief, this passage does not describe an ideal too lofty to attain—no, the chief characteristic of the truly noble woman is balance. That’s what happens when each of us takes our cues from God and God alone—it’s the message of the entire book of Proverbs, isn’t it?

Proverbs 31 doesn’t discuss only female roles; other topics include drinking; leading; fulfilling responsibilities; and working.

Read Proverbs 31:1-31

Proverbs ends with a positive description of a godly woman—a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and compassion.

Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the Bible is passive, submissive, and domestic. Not so! This woman takes her roles as a wife and mother quite proactively. She does not delegate her responsibilities to someone else. She manufactures, imports, manages, invests, farms, sews, buys, sells, and shares. Her strength and dignity do not come from amazing achievements, but from reverence for God. Her attractiveness comes from her strength of character. And that’s the point.

Whoever you are, you can learn this lesson: A godly person is one who strives to be a person of character, integrity, devotion, and balance.