I’m Working My Way Up to Proverbs 31!

Posted On May 16, 2021

“My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.”

Proverbs 4:1-2 NLT

My oldest daughter and I were commiserating the other day about Proverbs 31 and how inadequate it sometimes makes us feel as wives and mothers. I joked that maybe we should start with some lower-numbered Proverbs instead and then work our way up! My daughter works full-time, has a two-year-old daughter, and is almost nine months pregnant with her second child. She is understandably exhausted most of the time, so she said she would consider herself a Proverbs 6 woman: “How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9 NIV).

After some consideration, I placed myself at around Proverbs 4, which instructs us “children” to gain wisdom and instruction, and to accept correction: “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:26-27 NIV). I confess it seems like I “turn to the right or the left” a lot. I’m trying really hard to gain spiritual wisdom and “be steadfast” in all my ways, but I’m not there yet. I’m not even close. When I think about the kind of person God wants me to be and how far I am from that ideal, it’s easy to get discouraged. Below, I’ve included the passage from Proverbs 31 which describes a wife of “noble character” so you’ll see what I mean. (And men, don’t worry, I am not leaving you out. The ideas we are going to discuss this week apply to all of us.)

~The Wife of Noble Character~
“A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
‘Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.’
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
~Proverbs 31:10-31 NIV

Whew! That’s a lot to live up to. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to select flax or plant a vineyard or make and sell linen garments. Okay, so I’m probably not expected to take that part too literally, but I don’t feel overly confident about my ability to be “clothed with strength and dignity” or “laugh at the days to come” either. I try to do what God wants me to do and become who He wants me to become, but some days my spiritual journey feels like two steps forward and three steps back. Just when I think I’m getting the hang of it, I fall flat on my face. I fail again and again. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. We all struggle with sins and doubts. We all stumble sometimes. So what do we do?

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 NIV

We get back up and try again. We reach for our Father’s hand and ask for His forgiveness. We keep going. God will help us through anything we face. He won’t ever give up on us, so we shouldn’t either.

“You blew it. Again. The doubts. The questions. The missteps. So you beat yourself up, asking, ‘What kind of faith does that?’
Beautiful faith. Imperfect, yes, but beautiful in the eyes of your Lord who never asked or expected perfection. Don’t give up. Carry your mistakes to the One who promises to forgive them (1 John 1:9), and allow His grace to wash you whiter than snow. Then pick up your faith, and trust Him to finish this wonderful work He has begun in you.”

The Weekly Faith Project

God does not expect us to be perfect. In fact, He expects us to struggle. That’s all part of the learning process. When we give our lives to Christ, He takes us just as we are. And then He gets to work on us. Through the work of the Holy Spirit living in us, we begin to be transformed. As long as we cooperate, we become more and more like Christ. But sometimes we mess up. Sometimes we don’t cooperate. Sometimes we lose faith. That means that our progress may be really slow on occasion. But nothing will make our heavenly Father stop loving us. He always wants us to come back to Him. He’s always right there waiting to help us get back up when we fall. All we have to do is ask.

“I do believe; help me overcome by unbelief!”

Mark 9:24 NIV

“Are you ever afraid to tell God that your faith is weak? Do you ever pray, thinking, This isn’t really doing anything, but I know I’m supposed to do it? God isn’t a ‘supposed to’ God. God is your Dad. He knows you’re weak and that the human life is difficult and full of distractions. He knows you’re broken and needy. . . . be honest with God about your faith. . . . Are you struggling to believe? Tell God, and ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief.”

The Weekly Prayer Project

The important thing is that we keep moving forward. We keep our eyes on Christ and let Him lead us. We do this by making prayer and Bible study daily habits. He’ll let us know what He wants us to do as long as we stay connected to Him. He will guide us and correct us when we get off course. He will give us whatever help we need. He can use everything in our lives to teach us, even our mistakes. So we don’t need to worry if we struggle sometimes, and we don’t need to compare ourselves to others. As long as we keep trusting God to lead us, He will get us where He wants us to go.

“Do you sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life? When God starts a project, he completes it! As with the Philippians, God will help you grow in grace until he has completed his work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work he has begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to him.”

Chronological Life Application Study Bible

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 1:6 ESV

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

Romans 12:2 NLT

“Spiritual growth is not automatic. It takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow make an effort to grow, and persist in growing. . . . Spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between you and the Holy Spirit. . . . To change your life, you must change the way you think. Behind everything you do is a thought. Every behavior is motivated by a belief, and every action is prompted by an attitude. . . . Thinking of others is the heart of Christlikeness and the best evidence of spiritual growth.”

Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

I got serious about my spiritual growth a couple of years ago, and the key verse that started me on this journey was Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV). I wanted to know God’s will for my life, and He said, Change the way you think.

Being transformed begins with renewing our minds. How do we do that? I did it by making two basic changes to my lifestyle: I made a commitment to really listen to God through His Word and to turn my anxious thoughts into prayers. Pray and read the Bible. For someone who claims to be a Christian, doing these two things seems simple and obvious, but I wasn’t doing them consistently. Once I made them a priority, God was able to get to work on me. I’ve still got a long way to go, but He has begun transforming my life. Whenever I get discouraged, I think about how far I’ve come. I made a decision to trust Him with my life and He has led me in ways I never dreamed possible. So I can keep on trusting Him. So far, it’s been an amazing, difficult, scary, crazy, and wonderful journey. And I can’t wait to see where He takes me from here!

“I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.”

Philippians 3:12-14 NCV

This week’s Scripture passages highlight some of the wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. May these verses remind us that we are all still works in progress. Even if you’re not a “Proverbs 31 woman”, God has amazing plans for you! Don’t get discouraged and never give up. God will lead you and transform you into the person He wants you to become.

“Let the wonderful kindness and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you to keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.”

2 Peter 3:18 CEV

References:

• Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2012.
• Hiltibidal, Scarlet. The Weekly Prayer Project: A Challenge to Journal, Pray, Reflect, and Connect with God. Zondervan, 2017.
• Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Zondervan, 2002.
• The Weekly Faith Project: A Challenge to Journal, Reflect, and Cultivate a Genuine Faith. Zondervan, 2019.

Images:

• Proverbs 4 Woman featured image by me
• Sad Face image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
• Flowers image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
• Snail image by 13smok from Pixabay
• Butterfly image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
• Happy Face image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay