I’ve been reading Elizabeth George’s Treasures of a Proverbs 31 Woman and have been awestruck by the beginning chapters, in particular, which paint a beautiful and formidable outline of the kind of woman a young man is to seek in a wife. One thing that stood out to me was the chapter on rubies. Elizabeth George set out with her husband to the museums of Israel to try and locate the jewels that are used as a metaphor for the young lady, whose price is “far above rubies”. She could not find any. Instead, she found the remnants of war – ancient artefacts of weapons and armour that reflected a land of hardship and trying times. Elizabeth finishes by saying that the woman herself IS her husband’s jewel. In such a difficult life where they were just struggling to survive and meet everyday needs, a good wife was the jewel and treasure that brought worth, strength, dignity and colour into her husband’s life. He was enabled to stand at the city gates and sit with the elders of the land because she held down the fort at home.
To be honest I am overwhelmed and intimidated by the accomplishments of the Proverbs 31 woman. Her excellence at many jobs from management of servants to financial know-how, her provision of plentiful food and beautiful clothing for her household and her ability to market and profit from her work to serve her family.
Reading Elizabeth George’s book alongside Galatians 5 reminded me of how each of the Fruits of the Spirit are needed to undergird and sustain such immensity of responsibility and purpose. How important is arduous faithfulness in one’s little tasks around the home, for example, to ensure cleanliness, health, dress and energy for each day. How important is patience (and faithfulness) for discipline of one’s children. What a witness goodness is in buying and selling and giving, to be an honest and generous craftswoman. Self-control for guarding one’s tongue against an overly critical spirit (I was also rebuked by James 3) and kindness and gentleness of speech (and hugs) will build up one’s husband and children and not tear them down. Yes, Love, Joy and Peace must be the presiding atmosphere of the home.
How can a woman do all this? By the Spirit. If she is living by the Spirit she will not fulfill the works of the flesh. I realise the works of the flesh, listed in Galatians 5 as well, tend towards tearing the mind, house and/ or relationships apart, just like a three-year-old tantrum drives the toddler themselves and all around them to ridiculous levels of anxiety rather than healthy productivity. I’d like to reflect more on this, but I hope this helps some mum somewhere in her endeavours to build a house for Jesus with God’s enabling.
Note: This article was originally written by me for another blog.