Do ever think that Proverbs 31 was written just to make you feel worse about yourself? Sometimes when I read it, I feel like it was the 1st written form of Mommy Shaming.
Stay with me here.
I think this Proverbs 31 woman has to be the most amazing woman ever! And I would love to sit down with her and find out all her secrets. Because, let me tell you...I am not her. And I can feel instantly defeated when I read about her.
So why would God include such a passage in a book that is read so often? Does He support this idea of constantly feeling inadequate? Surely not...or maybe He does.
Again, stay with me.
Today has not been the best day. Today looked much more like a Proverbs 32 family. (This is the name I have given it when the mom wants to be a Proverbs 31 woman, but the children are not cooperating.)
Now, I'm about to get SUPER honest and transparent here. I make it a habit to not share my kids dirty laundry on social media, but I am going to make an exception today. Normally I will reference "hard days" or "bad patterns" or "temper tantrums" , but I leave the ugly details out. But today, I really feel like God has asked me to share and so I am going to trust Him with the details.
My daughter has been struggling for a month. Struggling bad. This has been the hardest month with her in the 2 years she has been ours. I'm not sharing details about the whole month; I am telling you this because I want you to know that we have been in Proverbs 32 mode for a while...not just today.
We got up this morning and began fighting the daily battles that have been going on for a month now. Two hours later, we are finally ready to start school.
We began with our quiet time and devotion. I read Proverbs 31. Why? Why did I do that to myself? I know what that chapter says. Why would I set myself up for that kind shaming today?
I went ahead and read it. I set goals. I chose 3 verses I was going to strive to be like. The first verse was #26.
"She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue."
Beautiful, isn't it? I decided that I was going to speak with wisdom to my children and always have faithful instruction ready to pour over them as i teach and lead them. This day was clearly going to be a success and I would probably have my husband and children "rise and call me blessed" by dinner time!
Exactly 1 hour later I found myself cleaning one of my children's urine off the waiting room floor as another one of my children was screaming and yelling at a different adult.
Twenty minutes after that, I found myself at the library restraining my 8 year old, waiting for my 7 year old to get out of the bathroom, while my 11 year old was checking his books out.
An eternity later (ok it was only like 3 minutes) I found myself now fully carrying my 8 year old through the quiet library as she is hitting me, kicking, spitting, and screaming I was hurting her.
Now with the 7 year old out of the restroom, we headed to the door. However, the computer check out was not working. I was standing with the younger 2 in between the glass doors in an effort to muffle her screaming. My independent 11 year looks at me panicked because the computer won't work and he sees I will be of no help.
Now this kid is amazing, but his most dreaded thing (besides heights) is having to talk to and explain something he doesn't understand to somebody he doesn't know. He hates being put on the spot to talk. He was ready to put the books up and leave rather than go ask for help.
I saw the dread on his face when a librarian came up to help him. But he spoke up, explained the problem, and came out with his books. He did it.
When he caught up with us, we headed the rest of the way to the car. I was still carrying my 8 year old who was thrashing about and yelling everything she could think of to yell. I put her in the car and as I walked around to my side I wondered how we went from a Proverbs 31 family to a Proverbs 32 family so quickly.
When we got home, I handled more fits from the 8 year old and dealt with all the wet clothes and booster seat from the 7 year old. I gave all 3 kids lunch and had the younger 2 lay down so I could catch a breath from our eventful adventure.
So here I am just 5 hours after I detirmined myself to be the Proverbs 31 woman. Here I am about 3 hours from my goal of them rising and calling me "blessed", lol. I don't see that happening.
Which brings me back to my original question of why God would put a passage in the Bible that would bring about feelings of failure...everyday.
I think I have an answer or at least a way that brings peace to my soul.
Our verse for this week at school is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We talked last night about situations or tasks God has set before us and helped us overcome through His strength.
Then this morning, my son shared about David and Goliath. We talked about Goliaths in our lives and how God could help us overcome them.
However, it wasn't until 5 hours later all of this started coming together for me. Are you starting to see it?
Why did it seem so easy for me to be the Proverbs 31 woman this morning in my quiet time? How could I feel so confident that I could "laugh at the days ahead"?
This morning as I was reading God's word, I was focused on Him. When I was at the library, I was focused on...well everything except Him.
I was worried about my son having to explain the broken computer to someone when I know how nervous that makes him. (I realize that seems very trivial to most, but it is a big deal to him. He is such a good kid and does anything you ask of him. He is smart and kind. But, he has an actual diagnosed processing disorder. This causes him to stammer when he is nervous. To compensate, he pauses to try and get his words put together. When people don't know this, they don't wait through the pause and start talking to him as if he doesn't understand what they are saying. This makes the stammering worse which makes the pauses longer.) You can see why I hated it that his sister's irrational behavior was forcing him into this situation.
I was thinking about my 7 year old that had peed all over the town and it had bothered everyone except him. I was wondering if we were going to have another issue before we made the 40 minute drive home.
I was focusing on my 8 year old and her desperate attempt to prove to me in yet another public place that she was indeed in charge.
I was watching the faces of every stranger as they wittnessed a child being restrained and then carried out of the library. I wondered what they thought as they heard "You're hurting me! You're hurting me!". Would they take her word for it or would they actually look and see that I wasn't hurting her at all. Would they realize that me carrying her was the best way to keep her safe?
Even thinking about all that, my mind couldn't ignore my fatigue, both physically and mentally. It takes a lot to wrestle with such a strong kid for that long, in public. It takes a lot of mental strength to stay calm and under control when every part of you wants to scream and yell and throw a big fit too!
I was focused on everything going wrong, instead of seeing God there with me.
Somehow, my 11 year old got through that hard situation. God whispered to me this afternoon that it was from years of " instruction being on my tongue". How many times through the years have I coached him through conversations? How many times has he seen me ask for help when I couldn't figure something out?
Somehow my 7 year old went from wetting his pants constantly to now it being a very rare occurrence. Perhaps it was because every time he has tried this particular battle, he has lost. Maybe he is understanding that I "watch over the affairs of my home" and he sees this trick for control doesn't work.
And my daughter. I know life with her may never get better. I know she is going to be a spit fire sun up to sun down...and I still love her with a passion I cant explain. Maybe that is what it means when it says "she laughs at the days to come.".
So after all my pondering of my truly never ending, never got any better day, I am left with this thought-
Maybe, just maybe, the proverbs 31 woman is each one of us that is putting in our best effort everyday and trusting God with the rest.
It says the Proverbs 31 woman rose early. It doesn't say it was easy for her. It says she did it.
Maybe she struggled too. But she kept at it. Maybe she had failures, but she learned from them and did better the next time.
Maybe she got up early and stayed up late because her kids were so naughty she couldn't get anything done while they were up.
Ok. Maybe that one is a stretch.
Maybe she figured out that her family would always be a Proverbs 32 family if she tried to do on her strength instead of knowing she NEEDED God.
Maybe that's what it means when it says "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
So all that to say, if you are NOT putting your best foot forward to be the mom and wife you are called to be then you are NOT who I am talking about.
But, if you are working day and night molding your kids heart, if you are setting the example that needs to be set to point them to God, if you are using your time and energy to provide for your kids physically and spirituality, and you are doing it the best you can and trusting God with your imperfections...then I believe YOU are a Proverbs 31 woman...even on Proverbs 32 days.
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