-Virtuous
-Trustworthy
-Hard worker
-Wise
-Fears the Lord
-Good
-Of noble character
-Skillful
-Knowledgeable
-And so many other qualities!
Sounds like a lot to live up to, right?
Many times I read this passage and become overwhelmed with everything I have to do, to check off, to be a Proverbs 31 woman.
BUT! Here’s the good news: with God, we CAN achieve these things. And, we can acheive them in many different seasons of life.
Proverbs 31 is an acrostic poem, meaning that, when written in Hebrew, each verse begins with each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (contains 22 letters). It is a description of an excellent woman, wife, and mother.
Every time I read this passage, I made the goal that when I got married, then I would become a Proverbs 31 woman. However, I realized that we can possess these traits as single or married. We can strengthen our wisdom and knowledge (v. 26), we can practice being faithful (v. 11), and we can grow closer to the Lord, being a woman who fears the Lord (v. 30).
For single women, this is a great passage to learn and practice and grow in so that one day, if/when the Lord brings you a husband, you are prepared to be a Proverbs 31 wife.
Wives, these verses are rich with things that we can be molded into as we continue our lives with our husbands.
The English Standard Version Study Bible, which I highly recommend getting, explains this passage well and helps to lift the heaviness this passage can bring to a woman as it seems difficult to achieve every quality.