Oh the infamous Proverbs 31 passage. For years I would gaze upon the text and feel worn out just thinking about this woman and feel defeated before I even began to imitate her! Sound familiar? As I read all of the tasks and duties she completed each day, I began to focus my attention on the qualities she must have possessed to be able to take care of her home and family. In doing so, I narrowed it down to four. Now that’s something we can all strive to achieve! Four characteristics needed to be a Proverbs 31 woman! Before I share with you the “genius” of my discovery, please note that this article is in summation to the series over the Proverbs 31 woman we have been doing this month on Come Fill Your Cup. To get a better, in depth look on the passage broken down, be sure to check out our other featured articles. Let’s get started!

1. Be loyal. The very first thing this passage talks about when dealing with our friend–we shall call her “Ruby”– is the loyalty she demonstrates to her husband. As we read in Genesis 2:18, our husbands are our very first and most important ministry. It is only fitting that the passage starts off talking about the loyalty she shows to her hubby. We too can strive to do the same! She takes care of his daily physical needs while also taking care of his emotional needs by making sure to show him the utmost respect. In turn, because of his happy home, happy children, and loyal wife by his side, he is a well respected member of the community, and, I am sure, an excellent leader for the family.
2. Be ingenious. Ruby is so resourceful and smart. Verses thirteen through twenty four talk about how she takes care of the things she has been given responsibility over. This example is the one that usually makes me cringe, she is just so busy! I don’t want to be that busy! But then again, aren’t we all? She was making the most of the day she had been given in the time she was living in. We can learn from this example and do the same. We may not be sewing our own clothes, rising at night to get food ready for the next day, or selling handmade goods, but we are just as busy with our own personal lives. The example she is setting for us ladies is the fact that in whatever chore or responsibility given, she was inventive. Being ingenious today means we size up our busy schedules to make sure we are using our time and resources wisely to benefit our households. Be wise in the money spent on clothing for your family, preplan meals to fit the time you have in the evenings to cook by planning meals around your weekly activities. Learn to say yes, learn to say no, and find creative ways to serve your congregation and community.
3. Be confident. We simply cannot be effective in anything if we lack confidence. Low self-esteem plagues so many valuable women. Simply reading through a day in the life of Ruby can leave us feeling inadequate in our own lives. We must get it through our heads that we are worth it, we are valuable, and we are worthy of praise. We must step out of ourselves so that we can confidently take care of those entrusted to us. If we focus too much on our shortcomings, criticize our worth, and compare our lives to others, we strip away the confidence God wants us to have and will miss out on fulfilling our duties in a Godly manner.
4. Be servant minded. This final step to being the Ruby of your home is encased throughout the Proverbs 31 passage. Ruby possessed the heart of a servant. All she did was done out of love, respect, and honor to God, her husband, and her household. She was so engulfed with meeting the needs of others that she has surpassed all expectations. If any trait is deemed more important than the rest, it would be this one. This final trait is the foundation to which everything listed before it lies on. If you want to truly be the Proverbs 31 woman, you must step out of yourself and into service.

We can all be the “Ruby” in our household. We too are excellent and worthy of praise. God has blessed us as women with amazing traits and talents to serve our Master, our husbands, our children, and our communities in ways that are unique to women. Be the Proverbs 31 woman. Show loyalty when society tells you to fend for yourself. Be ingenious with the way you run your household. Be confident that you were fearfully and wonderfully made a woman, a vessel of gentleness and compassion. And most importantly, serve, in every way you can and give the glory to your Father daily. I like to picture Ruby going to bed at night, tired and exhausted with a heart full of joy knowing she she is blessed and loved, eager to wake up the next day in hopes to get to serve again.

“Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” Proverbs 31:31

By Ashley Hudson
Ashley Hudson serves as Come Fill Your Cup’s Marketing & Publicity Manager. She and her family worship at the Madill church of Christ in Madill, OK where her husband, Jake, is the pulpit minister. She is a stay-at-home-mom with three children who enjoys photography as well as speaking and writing.  Be sure to check out her blog at http://transformingperfection.com/