Biblical Womanhood?
I’ve been asked to speak to a group of young women. The topic? Biblical Womanhood—one I’ve had a hate-hate relationship with.
But I’m determined to make it (at least) a love-hate relationship. Because I’ve got a daughter. And I need to teach her well. And I might even be starting to just love it.
The topic of biblical womanhood has been a wounding one for me. It stems all the way back to a Bible study on the Proverbs 31 woman: a woman I’m supposed to be, but just can’t attain. Maybe you’ve felt some of that, too.
I left that Bible study defeated. I closed my Bible, walked to the parking lot, looked at the sky, and said, “I can’t DO that.”
All the Proverbs 31 woman does in a day is impossible. I’ll have to find some other way to please God, because I can’t do all that.
I mean, have you read everything she does in a day??
- She gets up in the night. (That’s not my circadian rhythm.)
- She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (Not from my not-so-covert eye-rolls to my less-than-kind tone, I have been harmful, and I’m sure I will be again.)
- She considers a field and buys it. (Um. I’m pretty sure if I bought a place up north without my husband’s knowledge, we’d have a problem.)
- She lacks nothing of value. (I could really use a new computer. As I write, I need to hit the spacebar twice. Because today it doesn’t work.)
- She and her children are clothed in scarlet and purple. They’re rich. (Since when is this a requirement for holiness?)
And that’s just a sampling!
Unlocking Proverbs 31
I did eventually crack the code of Proverbs 31. And it is freeing.
Hint: It was never about what we could be.
Spoiler alert: It’s about a mother teaching her concubine-collecting son what we already are. It’s written for men clueless as to all the value we bring to the table. And when it was new, it was taught to the men, not the women. They memorized it.
Ready for all the rest of the amazingness?
You can listen to that revelation on Your Sunday Drive Podcast.
I’d love to hear what you think!
Until then, carry on, Pioneer! With every strength you bring to the chopping block.
P.S. If you like this kind of debunking misunderstood scriptures, check out our post about Abraham preparing to sacrifice Issac!