I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a godly woman who pursues righteousness and the glory of God. It is an intentional, diligent, and continuous effort. It is being vigilant over my heart, mind, and emotions. It means setting myself – my desires, my opinions, my goals – in line with God’s will. It means submitting to His Lordship over my life. It means honoring my husband. It means making myself available in service to others. It means caring for my home and being a good steward of all that has been put before me.
For many years I shied away from studying Proverbs 31. It always caused me to feel less than capable or not good enough. The woman described in Proverbs became my unattainable goal. I viewed her traits as something that must be attainable for anyone but me. That was wrong thinking, and thankfully the Lord has given me a new perspective over the last few years. And while I was right in thinking the woman described in the proverb is unattainable – it is impossible to be perfect – it doesn’t mean that I chuck the whole thing out the window. God’s Word is meant to be the standard to which we strive to live, by His grace and through the power of His Spirit. The Proverbs 31 woman intimidated and discouraged me because I was looking at it through the lens of my own ability to be like her. And on my own strength and power – I cannot come close. She is a general picture of what God’s standard is for a godly woman.
I have thought for quite some time about writing about what I have learned about her and how the Lord has used it to change my heart about this portion of Scripture and about my own life. Now, when I read about this godly, reverent, and diligent woman – I admire her and aspire to live my life more like her. Ultimately, Christ is my only true example of how to live. Yet, I am thankful that through His Word, I have that example laid out for me in the description of the Proverbs 31 woman. She is a picture of applying God’s Truth to one’s daily life as a woman of God.
At the core, being a godly woman must stem from a place of love, obedience, and worship of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9:
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you like down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Matthew 6:33:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
This is the heart posture that is needed in order to live in godliness. It is from this foundation of love, obedience, worship, and diligence that everything else flows. We cannot manufacture it. We cannot “fake it til we make it”. It is something that comes from God himself through salvation in Christ. But at the same time, it comes through effort and diligence on our part to live in such a way.
The question then becomes – but how? I am one of those people who want to be given a checklist of things to accomplish to get the outcome. Just tell me what to do, how to do it and I can get it done. While there are definitely specific things we can and should be doing in order to pursue righteousness and to grow in our love, worship, and obedience to the Lord – it is not a “one and done” thing. It is a continuous effort and a continuous dependence on and surrender to Him. His will, his timing, and his grace. That is where we will begin. As I write these posts, I will be working through this in my own life. I don’t have all the answers – far from it. My desire is to grow in godliness and holiness as a woman who has been saved by grace through faith. As I pursue these things, my hope is that it will serve as an encouragement to whoever reads this. We as women have been greatly deceived by the world around us. It is time for us to come back to the Truth and pursue God’s will for the way we live our lives. It will be hard and challenging at times. But the beauty of God’s design for us as women far surpasses anything this world can offer us. It’s time to walk in the light of that Truth.
Lord, you are perfect and holy in all of your being. There is none like you. We seek your will, your purposes, and your plans for our lives. You have saved us by grace in order that we may glorify you in all that we do. We cannot do this on our own strength, for outside of your grace and mercy, we have nothing to offer. Lord, strengthen us for the days ahead. May we grow in our love, adoration, reverence, obedience, and worship of you, for you alone are worthy. May we pursue your righteousness above all things, and may we desire to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel that saved us. All things for your glory, nor ours. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.