Who Is That Proverbs 31 Woman Anyway?

Teaching Topic 2/1/2/11
There are so many voices that challenge our lives as women, both external and internal. Manuals, magazines, and books all by for our attention as we navigate the waters of raising our kids, keeping our homes, and loving our husbands. Family, friends, neighbors, even the lady at the supermarket seem to have advice on how we should handle things. Living near your mom or mother-in-law can be a blessing, but it can also lead to differences in opinion on many subjects.

The Bible has advice as well...and since God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), we should probably take a look at that, too. Her name is the Proverbs 31 Woman. You can read that section of the Bible by clicking here. She is definitely something of an icon in the Christian world, but we need to be careful not to make her an idol.

The first thing we need to remember is that she is not real. She is a future mother-in-law's poem to her son about the kind of woman he should marry. It has also been said that she represents the seasons of a woman's life...we can't do everything she is doing all at the same time. At the same time, because God saw fit to include this in His word, we can't just disregard her.

My biggest takeaway, personally, from reading about her, is that she is not idle. She is not a time-waster. She is productive and proactive. She is a planner, not a slacker. With all the distractions available to us in this day and age, not wasting time is a huge challenge. Time is the one thing we can't get more of, and we have to guard it wisely.

As moms, our job is to create an environment in our homes where everyone can thrive and grow, feel safe and secure. Home is the one place we can be ourselves. We are the CEO's of our homes...Chief Environmental Officers. And if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, right?

This semester we will journey through the challenges and opportunities that we have as moms to make a difference in the lives of our families, our neighborhoods, and our communities. We will be able to write a mission statement at the end of the semester that highlights our values and expectations of our roles, using it to determine, going forward, if how we are living our lives matches what we want out of them.

My favorite part of Mom Time is finding out that you aren't the only one dealing with the stuff we deal with. CS Lewis said it best: "Friendship is born when one person says to another "What? You too? I thought I was the only one." Being a mom is hard work with great rewards, but it sure is more fun with some friends to journey through it with you.

If you haven't signed up yet, but want to join us, please do. We meet Tuesday mornings from 9:30-11:00 at Fox River Christian Church. There is no charge for Mom Time, but you must register and pay for childcare. Click here to sign up. We are Group 18. Hope to see you next Tuesday!