It’s a great day to be encouraged, Woman to Woman! Happy Wednesday!
We continue our look at the woman of Proverbs 31.
Before we move on, however, I need to share one thing.
Friend, this is not a competition. If you’ve been the least bit tempted, as I have, to compare yourself negatively with this woman, please don’t. God didn’t put this part of scripture in to tear us down and to make us feel like failures. I believe He put it there to show a picture of a godly woman, wife and mother.
Just because I can’t do everything as well as this woman, doesn’t mean that I’m ungodly, or I’m a failure. And neither are you. Let’s take what we can learn in a positive way, and ask God grow us into the women He wants us to be.
Now that we are starting with the right focus, let’s move on to verses 28-29 from The Message translation:
I would venture to say we all desire to have our children respect and bless us. I also believe we each like to hear our husband sing our praises.
But sometimes those things don’t happen in real life, do they? (Am I the only one??)
Sometimes our children choose to disrespect and dishonor us. Sometimes our husbands don’t notice all we’ve done in a day to keep our heads above water, let alone our homes running smoothly.
Sometimes the praises never come.
If we only work and live for the praises, we will surely be disappointed. We can’t control what others say and do, and we certainly can’t force someone to respect, bless, or praise us. But what we can do is to keep our attention on why we do what we do.
We do all we do because of Whom we do it for.
Romans 3:23 says…
Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.
We are serving Christ as we serve our families.
When we keep that in mind, when the praises come, they are just bonus. They are added blessings in the midst of our days.
The word outclassed stood out to me in this translation. Again, we aren’t trying to outclass each other. Outclass means superior. You are superior just by being you. You are superior because of Who you belong to… Jesus. You are superior, for you are one-of-a-kind.
Let these words sink in.
God made you special. He loves you. He cherishes you.
Please pray with me:
Father God, thank You for Who You are. Thank You for saving us through Your Son. Thank You for loving us like You do. We ask today for Your continued hand upon our lives. Father grow us into the women You want us to be. Encourage us as we follow Your path for our lives. Help us to keep our eyes on You, and yet encourage others on their journeys. May we not live and work for praises of our families, but live and work for You, and You alone. We love You, and praise Your holy name. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Julie
Linking up with Three Word Wednesday & Coffee For Your Heart.
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Julie … thanks for the gentle reminder that competition’s not the name of the game. Our captivation with screens does nothing to help us in this struggle.
We’re never too much … or not enough … in His sight …
Blessings!
Great words, Linda! Your words encouraged me today. Thank you for them! I’ll be coming by to visit your place soon. Thanks for visiting mine today. God bless you!
Love this truth! : “We do all we do because of Who we do it for.”
Yes. Everyday.
And I love how He cheers us on! 🙂
I love how He cheers us on too, Elise! I can’t imagine live without Him! Thanks for sharing and for coming by today. Hope all is going well in your corner of the world! Blessings!
I’d never seen this version – outclassed – wow. Great post. Yes, we are in this deal together. Building up other women to follow hard after God. Let the comparisons or inner need to outclass fall at the love of Christ. Bless you.
Amen, Ginger! I don’t believe we can ever be over-encouraged to build up each other. Thank you for doing that for me today. I’m so glad you stopped by! I’ll be visiting your place soon. God bless you today!
I loved what you shared on how this is not a competition before you began your post. I know some can struggle with the Proverbs 31 woman, but you are approaching the verses so beautifully here. Great wisdom, Julie. Thank you so much for sharing with Three Word Wednesday. You bless. Much love. xoxo
Beth, I am loving Three Word Wednesday! Thank you for hosting it each week. There is some great encouragement and hope shared there! I appreciate your comment and your uplifting words. Hope you’re having a terrific day! Hugs!
Outclassed. Love that version! Proverbs 31 has always made me feel inferior and then I feel bad about taking it that way. I needed to hear this, especially with my girls home all day for summer. All. Day.
I understand, Sarah. We have enough to make us feel inferior, don’t we? No need to feel bad. God continues to teach us (thankfully). I don’t know how old your girls are, but I can relate. Mine are grown and almost grown, but I remember those days. I sometimes wish I could go back and appreciate them a little more. 🙂 Hang in there. You’re serving Christ! Hugs from one mom to another!