The Proverbs 31 Wife, A Fuller Glimpse (Part 3)

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Welcome to part 3 of this beautiful venture into the Proverbs 31 Wife. I pray that you’ve been blessed by this detailed exploration and are excited to continue forward.  If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read parts 1 & 2  [Proverbs 31 Wife, A Fuller Glimpse: My Farewell to Age 31 (Part 1), & Proverbs 31 Wife, A Fuller Glimpse (Part2)] to gain insight into what we’ve discussed thus far. 

As we’ve spent this time taking a fuller glimpse of the ‘noble wife’, it’s led me to think deeper about the physical aspect of gazing with our eyes.  Our eyes grant us access to an initial perception of the world around us and the people we encounter along the way. 

Scripture tells us that “the eye is the lamp of the body” (Matthew 6:22), so not only should we be careful of what we fix our gaze on, we should be wise of what we communicate with our eyes as well.  

In our nation’s current pandemic, the new norm is to wear face masks and some states have even mandated them.  Now our entire faces are covered with the exception of our eyes: the lamps to our bodies.  Our eyes are now even more important as we connect to those around us.  What I’ve noticed in my interactions is that the wearing of face masks has caused those in communication to naturally take a deeper look at one another as they scan for understanding.

Just through looking at the eyes we can sense a person’s current state of being, whether they are grateful, amused, indecisive, tired, frustrated… we communicate it all through our eyes. 

I would image that the Proverbs 31 woman’s eyes were tired, but that she was intentional about showing joyful eyes to her kiddos as they played, supportive eyes to her husband as they parented the children together, and hopeful eyes as she relied on God for strength through the day’s challenges.  

THE PROVERBS 31 WIFE: 

Today, the Proverbs 31 woman would probably be wearing a flower printed mask into her favorite grocery store while smizing at those around her!  

This week we’ll be reviewing a few more attributes to help gain a fuller understanding into the ‘noble wife’. 

Come gaze with me: 

1. She’s Prepared: Mommas, if you’re like me, you’re very prepared… SOMETIMES!  Ok, so I’m not perfect but I feel that I’m prepared for the things that matter.  Scripture says that the Proverbs 31 wife isn’t afraid of the winter because she’s worked to ensure warm clothing for her family was prepared ahead of time.  Today’s ‘noble wife’ is prepared with snacks for a long car ride with the littles, an extra face mask in her purse, and baby wipes because these kids make messes everywhere! Essentially, she’s taken the time to prepare ahead of time for the things to care for her family.
2. She Knows Her Gifts & Uses Them For Good: The bible teaches us that we each have spiritual gifts.  These gifts can translate into talents and/or the things we naturally do well.  For example, my mom is a writer and her talent is multifaceted.  She’s a poet, playwright, puppeteer, and she’s currently in the process of publishing a children’s book.  My mom has used this gift to write plays for church fundraisers, conduct weekly puppet shows for the children’s ministry, and even bless my son with private puppet shows about manners.  She uses her gifts for the good of our family and those she encounters. 
3. Her Husband Trusts Her Support:  The scripture actually says that her husband is “respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land” (Proverbs 31:23).  What I take from this is that because of her trusted support, her husband is able to tend to his duties without worries.  He’s able to focus on providing for his family without stressing about his wife keeping her end of the partnership.  In the previous post I’d spoken about the importance of discussing expectations with your partner.  Every marriage looks different, but what this scripture speaks to me is that the ‘noble wife’ upholds her end of the bargain so her spouse worries not. 
4. She’s Clothed In Faith: Amongst the verses is described a woman wearing fine-linen, and as we go a few verses down, we learn she’s also “clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” (Proverbs 31: 25).  Mommas, this has got to be a woman of faith!  I don’t feel she’s actually laughing at fear, but what she is doing, is casting all her care and all her concerns onto the Lord.  She’s clothed in faith. 

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: 

Last week we challenged ourselves to identify a strength.  This week, let’s build on this and distinguish which spiritual gift we may have been blessed with.   

I’ve shared in previous posts that I’ve been blessed by the supportive commentary in the Tony Evans Study Bible .  In it he explains that we all have spiritual gifts that were given to us to serve God by blessing those around us (I Corinthians 12: 4-11).  This week, let’s spend some time reading I Corinthians 12: 4-11 and pray to the Lord to help us in identifying our spiritual gift and using it/them for His glory.  

APPLICABLE SCRIPTURE: 

Proverbs 31: 21- 25 & I Corinthians 12: 4-11

Research shows that direct eye contact (in short glimpses) can be therapeutic due to the affection conveyed between two individuals (Hietanen, 2018).  As moms and wives, our loved ones look to our eyes to deliver joy, compassion, and supportive love.  As our family looks to us, let’s continue to fix our gaze on the Lord.  

Next week will be the last part of this series, if you’re reading this, please comment below with what you’ve enjoyed thus far.  I’ll look forward to chatting with you then as we share REAL LIFE, FROM ONE MOM TO ANOTHER. 

Chat Soon,

-Charity

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References: Hietanen J. K. (2018). Affective Eye Contact: An Integrative Review. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1587. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01587