the virtuous woman

            As Christian women, it is important for us all to always seek to please God in our words and actions every day. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, it is imperative that we seek God’s approval over man’s approval. It is easy for anyone to be so focused on pleasing others here on Earth, that they focus less on being pleasing to God. There are many examples of women in the Bible who were pleasing to God such as Sarah, Ruth, Esther, and Mary to name a few. There are also many passages in Scripture that describe God’s standard for how Christian women ought to live, and some of the passages I look to when analyzing myself are those about the “virtuous woman” in Proverbs
            Proverbs chapter 31 and verse 10 says “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is above rubies.” Back in the Old Testament, it must have been difficult for men at the age to be married to find a good, faithful woman. I can only imagine how the writers of that era would view the feasibility of finding such a woman in today’s society. Christian women are to act as virtuous women, meaning they must think, dress, and conduct themselves differently than women of the world. We are to show ourselves to be different so that we will be able to yoke ourselves with other Christians, and thus be in the world but not of the world. Even if other people do not think that how we act is acceptable, God does, and He holds a good Christian woman in a very high regard as verse 10 states. A virtuous woman would be a prize indeed for any eligible Christian male who is seeking someone to help him go to Heaven amidst this sinful and wicked world. 
            Also, a virtuous woman (who is married) is trusted by her husband (Proverbs 31:11). As a wife, I definitely want my husband to trust me completely, and I work every day to show him that he can do so. I don’t believe in keeping secrets or going places without his knowledge, and he does the same for me. I know of some marriages where the spouses do not know the whereabouts or actions of one another and that can cause issues later on if not resolved. I think that verse 11 is important because trust in a marriage involves communicating with one another regularly, and that can sometimes be more of a challenge with busy schedules. Even if a woman is not married, being trustworthy is very important as well. 
            Another example of a virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 states “She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness (v.26).” It is always important for Christian men and women to speak kindly of others. I see examples of the opposite happening from time to time among people, both in face to face interactions and on social media. A virtuous woman, who all Christian women should strive to imitate, would not speak unkindly against another person in any form or fashion. Sometimes it is easy to get on social media and speak against someone in a generalized post for hundreds to see instead of speaking directly to that person. Even though others on the site may not know who you are talking about, God knows, and doing this is no different than directly speaking against a person or talking bad about them to others and mentioning their name. Doing any of these things would require repentance. 
            Another way that Christian women could imitate the “virtuous woman” according to Proverbs 31:26 is to be encouraging to others. It is easy to become so wrapped up in our own lives that one forgets to encourage others. A kind word goes a long way with most people. Encouraging the men who perform the church services and the women who teach Bible classes is a good step in this direction. Also, even saying encouraging things to others on social media helps as well. 
              I look to verse 28 a lot because it is something I hope, as a mother to see at some point. “Her children arise up, and call her blessed;”.  I am not saying that I hope my children brag on me when they are able to talk. I mean that I hope that I will be the type of mother that my children will consider blessed, not for my sake, but for theirs. I want to be the mother who helps them go to Heaven. I also want to be the mother who they can look back on after I am gone and say that they had a Christian mother who taught them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I want them to have all good memories of me to think on and of which they can tell their children. If I were to pass away while they are young, I want to be the mother that others can use as an example to teach them the way to Heaven. I love and am so thankful for all of my babies! For unmarried women, your example can teach others the way to Heaven as well. Even married women without children can teach others by their examples. 
               Proverbs 12:4 states “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” I want to help my husband in every way as well. He is a much stronger Christian than I, and he helps keep me strong. I, in no way, want to do anything to cast a stumbling block in front of him, nor would I purposely do anything to make him ashamed. I am so thankful in my heart and soul for my wonderful Christian husband! I always strive to be the best wife I can for him. 
​              My goal is to be like the virtuous woman described in Proverbs and other parts of the Bible, and I go to these passages frequently to refresh my memory on how God wants me to be. I also wanted to write this article to teach others about how to be more like the virtuous woman, and I hope the examples I have chosen will help someone out there become closer to God.  

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