The Virtuous Woman Series, Part 26
No Bitter Pills, No Rough Roads
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Proverbs 31:31 - Give her the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
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| "Shame, shame,
Double shame
Everybody knows
Your name."
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I was a troublesome teenager. I spent the 7th grade in three schools due to moves, and another move in the eighth grade put me in a new state, new school, new faces, new everything. I spent the whole of my eighth grade in trouble. In my struggle to be accepted and have friends, I was the class clown, the worst of the worst and the baddest of the bad. I was suspended 3 times for foolishness. To sum it all up, no one's parents wanted me as their child's friend.
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What I absolutely hated was the fact that every time someone was suspended, the whole school knew -- literally. Their name would be announced over the loudspeaker at the end of the day. It took all of the next year to live down that one bad year. I felt as if I had to be double good in order to get rid of the bad.
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The things we do follow us. We all have a reputation of some sort. The things we do, the things we say, our character, everything we are reflects whose child we are.
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| It’s been a long time since the eighth grade for me, and I’ve grown up since then. And, I hope that it can be said that I’ve matured as well. Humble pie and crow are not my favorite foods and I am learning to avoid them. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul says, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
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Paul knew that his works were safe to sing about in the gates. His footsteps were safe to follow in. The fruit of his hands was untainted and his words were pure for the lips. People could follow him because he was following the Lord.
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That is the goal of the Proverbs 31 Woman. Safe footsteps. She really isn't thinking about other people singing her praises so much as she is making sure that what she says, what she does, everything she is is safe for the next generation to follow.
And, so doing, she doesn't need to toot her own horn; the band is playing for her.
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Oh God, I thank You for the lessons that You are teaching me as I follow You on the straight paths which You have laid before me. I thank You for giving me people who leave safe footsteps to follow in. I thank You that You were the first to walk that road and that You left a shining path for Your followers. We are blessed. Thank You, Lord, I love You because You first Loved me. Amen
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