I’ve been thinking about this on and off all week. I ran across some different blogs as I was looking at different “frugal” sites. One of them was a post a lady wrote about another woman who somehow managed to get all of her families grocery needs for only $300 a year. They had a garden, milk cow etc. and the article talked about the great money manager that this woman was. Then I got to the comments section and was surprised when MANY of the comments were about this woman really exlempifying the Proverbs 31 woman. I’ve been in fundamentalist church circles all my life, so am no stranger to the emphasis put on being this virtuous woman. However, my “take” on it has always been totally different. I always thought the main thrust of the passage was the “virtues” of the woman. “Her price is far above rubies” and “The hear of her husband doeth safely trust in her” and “in her tongue is the law of kindness.” These were the HEART things that I always thought belonged to the virtuous woman. I of course read all the parts about her working with her hands, and caring for her household and giving to the poor, but in my mind the economy of what she did was more of a fruit of her character. She was diligent, not slothful, she provided for the needs of her family without wasting because she was trustworthy and responsible, she gave to the poor because she was compassionate. These are the things that I’ve always thought about the “Proverbs 31″ woman. Then in reading this blog, I realized that apparently many people are “interpreting” this passage more on economic ideas. Those women who left comments about this amazing lady who could make a little go a LONG way, had no idea of the woman’s real character. They don’t know if she was a bitter person, or one who loved to gossip, or someone who was a busybody. The only thing they knew was that she was EXCELLENT at saving money. I agree that it is commendable to be frugal and not wasteful in your family’s expenses. In fact I believe that it is a Biblical principle that we should follow, being good stewards. However, I don’t think that the virtuos woman’s merrit is strictly or even mostly in her economic ability. It’s really in her character and practice where the virtue is, and that, of course, will be evident in those other areas as well. What are your thoughts? Do you think the passage in Proverbs 31 is dealing with a character study or economics?
Interesting take. I have studied this passage in depth since I was in high school and I do think that she is an amazing woman. She accomplished many things and I think it comes as a result of her close walk with God. Once that is in place everything else falls into place. She will have a right relationship with her hubby, her home will be in order, she will be a hard worker and she will learn to be a good handler of her money etc.. Maybe that is what the people were meaning when they commented. Maybe they meant their comment as a characteristic of the Virtuous woman?
I’ve always admired the Proverbs 31 description, but find myself getting annoyed with people who focus on the money side of it. And it seems that most people do. What about the way her husband trusted her fully, or the way her children loved and respected her? The Bible says she spoke words of wisdom and kindness. These things are not accomplished by being money smart. It takes time and patience to cultivate valuable relationships like that. We can see all around us how people will work themselves to the bone trying to emulate the economic success of the Proverbs 31 woman at the risk of neglecting the fundamental relationships with their families. I believe success is translated in different ways for everyone, and that’s fine, because God has different plans for each of us. And if a woman is following the path that has been laid for her, she will be successful. Onlookers may not agree that her life is necessarily successful, but who are they to judge that? So I suppose my way of thinking is similar to your post because I believe the virtues themselves are to be striven for in our Christian walk, and the manifestation of success (economic or not) will be a direct result of living virtuously. No woman is perfect. But I know many women in various walks of life who are constantly striving to be more Christlike, and that, to me, is truly beautiful and virtuous.
Hey, thanks for your comments Kilika! I agree totally, and think that you’re right on about people neglecting important relationships in order to have the perfect household. I met a lady when we were in G’ville who was older, and she said that she so wished she had spent more time on her kids and teaching them about Jesus than on keeping her house perfect. It was a really sad lesson, but she often comes back to mind when I find myself putting too much emphasis on things that for eternity’s sake don’t matter one bit.
Good thoughts from all three of you. One thing though. Our husbands can safely trust in us by our handling of the money in our family. What I mean is, so many ladies have to have more and more and refuse to try to live within their means. This puts real presure on our husbands. He needs to be able to know you will be careful with what and how you spend. Money problems are one of the leading causes of divorce. So, although being a Proverbs 31 kind of women involves MANY things, it is important how we try to help our husbands in this way too.