The Perfect Woman

As I sat through the mother's day service a few months ago in church, and heard the Pastor reading the famous Proverbs 31 I couldn't help but weep. You see years ago, maybe even a year ago I would have felt that I was somewhat a Proverbs 31 woman, I could relate to her on some level. But this year I just felt so much shame. I couldn't see any of those qualities in me nor a desire to fulfill those shoes. You see I've been down and out for awhile now. The difference is that this time I can see a mirror before my face and even my smile shows traces of sadness.

I think as Christian women we so often feel that it is wrong to be transparent. We have to be strong women! Strong for our husbands so that when they are down we can lift them up. Strong for our children because we are examples to them. And strong for ourselves because the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear.

You know all of this is true, and to some extent okay.

But what about the sister that is going through some things? What about the one that is weak in faith, the one that feels like her whole life has gone astray and wants to give in to all of these emotions? What about her, who is strong for her?

I know you are all screaming : JESUS!!!! He is strong for her. Yes this I know. I know this now!!!!

You see for months I've had this Job moment. Actually I'll say this past year. The Lord describes Job as "perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil" -Job 1:1b KJV. You gotta love the KJV for getting fancy with a word like eschewed but it simply means avoided. Job had all these possessions, and children, he gave to the poor, he was blessed, and he even made regular sacrifices on behalf of his children.

Sounds like the story of my life! I came to Christ, the Lord richly blessed me, He gave me all these promises, and blessings, He called me great things like "His Child, His friend, the Apple of His eye, His chosen, etc." I had a husband and a daughter when I came to Christ I was only 21. Fast forward 9 Years and the Lord has blessed me with 3 rambunctious boys, a home, 2 cars, etc. And I'm thankful I really am.

But just like Job had his moment of being tested so have I. I've had financial troubles, martial troubles, children troubles, health problems, grieving times, etc. The Lord has seen me through all of these thank God. But there came a moment in Job's life that the Lord removed all of his blessings, his possessions, children, and left him with a pretty bitter wife but he made this precious declaration in Job 1:21 "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" Amazing right. But his trial wasn't over!!!

Then when Satan made the stakes higher and he messed with Job's health he made another great declaration to his wife, in Job 2:10 "You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" Wow truly amazing.

But fast forward from Job 3-37 all we get are complaints from Job. He doesn"t complain about God but he complains about himself and his situation. Doesn't that sound a lot like us. Well it sounds a lot like me.

It's not until the Lord challenges him and rebukes him in chapters 38-41, that Job was able to come to get a grip and declare in Job 42:5 " I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes." Thank God I have reached this moment!!

And not because the Lord has removed the situation/ trial. I'm still in the eye of the storm. But when your eyes are on Jesus, not because of what He says about you or what He does for you, but because of Jesus. Because in HIM is everything, because before Him every situation is nothing!!!! You can truly understand Job. I'm not seeking Jesus for things, or what He thinks of me, or even what He can do for me. But simply because I can SEE HIM!!! All we need is Him, truly!

Amazing.....I think that sometimes in our Christian walk we listen to stories of men like David and Job and we only compare what the Lord has said about them "a man after God own heart" "a man who is perfect, upright and fears the Lord and eschewed evil" and we don't reflect on the moments when they "fail" when they were tested, their reactions, their downfall.

You see as much as we can rejoice in the blessings and possession we have. It takes a moment of true defeat for us to learn that we can't just hear about the Lord we need to see His face.

We need to see His face in the trials, we need to rejoice because He challenges us to do so. We need to see the bigger picture and that is Jesus!!!

So what are your moments of despair? Your moments of weakness? When you don't feel like that Proverbs 31 woman or like you will ever reach that status?

The truth in the matter is that, that Proverbs 31 woman is God's challenge to us, that woman is how He sees us, what He thinks of us, what He calls us "a wise woman, an excellent wife, a mother worth imitating and praising." 

Let us not sit in our pile of ashes like Job and wallow in our own despair, or hide our true selves and sins like David did. But let's rise up and cry out to the Lord. He is faithful. He is strong for us. Only He can lift us up and with his strength we can be excellent, wise and great women worth praising." Not because we are that good, but because He is. So that we can share our stories not just our victories, but our defeats. Of not just success but failures. And God will glorify Himself though us. 

Follow me and join me on my quest to take on God's challenge. 

Blessings