Her Emotions
Women are emotional beings, and that is just how it is. The Proverbs 31 woman had more said about her feelings than it did about what she said.
She does him good, she has strength, she is generous to the needy, she is not afraid, she has dignity, she laughs…and she does not fear the times to come, but she does fear the Lord.
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
The perfect woman, according the the internet, can range from one extreme to the next. I have read in the top 10 things men like about women is their independence, their honesty, their sensuality, their playfulness, their spontaneity. I was reading one article in Men’s Health magazine that the anatomy of a perfect woman consisted of a woman who laughs at their jokes, she is 2-4 years younger than you, she has brown hair, a woman who smiles, a woman with narrow hips, a woman with larger breasts, they prefer women to wear red, she needs to be educated and employed, and she must have little feet.
None of these qualities are on the radar of God’s description of a virtuous woman. Our value is not determined by narrow hips, or employment status. God does not see us as more precious than pearls because we have brown hair. Our husbands don’t call out our praises at the city gates because we are 2-4 years younger.
The husband in Proverbs 31 praises her because she is a woman who fears the Lord. She is a woman who does good all the days of her life. She is a woman who speaks wisdom and kindness in her home. She is a woman who loves the people around her and makes sure they are taken care of. She does not have the fear of man buried deep in her soul, she has the fear of God burning in her heart.
Having fear of the Lord is completely opposite of having fear of man. Fear of man comes in forms of peer pressure, covetousness, people pleasing. Jealousy. Unforgivness. When we put our fear of rejection or our fear of man as the motive of our behavior, actions and reactions, we are not living with fear of the Lord in our hearts. When we have a fear of the Lord, instead of fear of man, our motives become more loving, more forgiving, more generous. More hopeful. But above all that, it brings glory to God, and not glory to us.
Giving Glory to:
God
So, let’s break down how we can give glory to God:
1) The Value of the Glory of God
Revelation 21:11
“Having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”
2) To Whom Goes the Glory: “For My Glory”
Isaiah 43:5-7
“Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west. “I will say to the north, `Give them up!’ And to the south, `Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
3) How Do We Give God the Glory?
1 Peter 4:11
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
4) Glorify God: In Your Body
1 Corinthians 6:20
For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
5) Glorifying God: With Everything You Do
1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” -Matthew 22:37
Conclusion:
There is no perfect woman in the eyes of men.
But there are excellent women in the eyes of God.
The Platypus Directive 