Five Minute Friday - Who Is She?

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Homeschool Coffee Break helps fuel this blog.

One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

She is clothed in strength and dignity,

she can laugh at the days to come.

~Proverbs 31:25~

who is she?

********************

I'm probably not alone in turning my thoughts towards the Proverbs 31 Woman as I see the prompt "she" just before Mother's Day. She is one of the ideals and the standards that is held up before Christian women. Was she a real person? Or a representation of all the best qualities for women? If she was real, why doesn't Scripture specify who she was or give us her name? I don't know for sure, but I think she certainly could have been real.

A real person? And do all those things? Impossible! Well, maybe not. Not if those were accomplishments achieved over her lifetime. She got a lot done, but do you get the impression that she was driven and ambitious? Or that she fell exhausted and depleted into bed each night, for just an hour or so before scrambling up before dawn to start frantically checking things off her long to-do list? She seems pretty serene to me. I don't think she did all those things each and every day. 

Still, she didn't waste time. She was productive - she got up early and looked after the practical needs of her household. She was disciplined - she had a plan to get things done, and knew to prepare for the future. 

She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants . . . She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night . . . She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. ~Proverbs 31:15, 18, 27

But she was generous, thoughtful, loving. These things take time. She loved others and she was loved and respected in return. 

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 opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy . . . Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." ~ Proverbs 31:11-12, 20, 28-29

She was trustworthy, diligent, honest, creative, wise, hospitable, innovative, classy, loyal. She was practically perfect in every way! But she was also humble, and didn't seek the spotlight. She was well-known in her community, but also content to work behind the scenes. As wonderful as she was, she remains anonymous.

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. 

~Proverbs 31:25-26

She is every wife, every mother, every working woman, and every starry-eyed girl. Because each of us can display each of those positive traits in our own unique way, when we live for the Lord. 

I believe that She - like each of us - messed up and got it wrong. She made mistakes, she lost her temper, she spoke harshly, she had moments of selfish rebellion. If she was human, she must have. But we don't read about that, because that didn't define her and her story didn't end with her failure. She was forgiven and she moved on.

 

She is worth far more than rubies . . . 

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, 30-31~

So  why doesn't she have a name?

In God's grace, he included her in his word as an example of what a virtuous woman is like. Maybe that's why we don't know her name. Because she could be you, and she could be me. God knows her name, He knows yours, and He knows mine.

The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. ~Revelation 3:5

*******

This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt "She".

This post will also be linked at Inspire Me Monday.

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to Homeschool Coffee Break by Email! 

 ©2006-2021 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.