Becoming a Woman of Wisdom and Grace

If you’re anything like me, its Sunday and you are still fully thinking about the pastors sermon this morning. Ours has been a series called “Chosen to Follow”. It has been so eye opening in how Jesus not only chose His disciples, but also where they came from and how they acted even after following Him.

The question is now though, How can we relate the Proverbs 31 woman to being chosen to follow Jesus?

The truth is that we are all chosen to follow Jesus, its just, will you “take up your cross” as they say and go? Will you look at your the ways of your life as half empty or half full? Finally, will you follow by faith or will you need proof?

When you look through Proverbs 31, we are called to be optimist, to look at the cup as half full rather than half empty. Our cross to bear is our faith, family, home and income. For me and I think most women, this is such a hard task. We balance a lot of things all at once. Our minds are always running 100 mph. For instance, mine is thinking about the sermon, writing this now and listing out my to do list for the day to be prepared for the next week. Throw in answering the kids questions, helping them with task and making sure they are fed and bathed. We sure have our work cut out for us. God made it where we can handle it all though. Even when I feel like everything can be spiraling, we pull through the day. Its one thing that I like to remind myself to thank God for. Every day, no matter how pessimistic I am during it or optimistic in the morning about being ready, I thank God for getting me through it.

Its so crazy how this is all coming back to how “she laughs without fear of the future.” That’s where we need to surrender. The pastor asked us to ask a question today. “What is one 1/2 empty area in your life that needs surrender?” Mine is this. In those times that I’m overthinking, thinking I am failing or just planning what will happen next, I need to surrender it. I need to laugh without fear of what will happen because He will handle it.

How to do this though? We have to give up the control to Him. We have to walk in the light of His word and trust His promises. You might say, “if I give up control, things won’t fall into the right places” and that is something that you have to decide, is it worth the risk? What if the places that you think are right are not the places that God wants you to be?

Isaiah 50:10-11 states “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: you will lie down in torment.

This verse is so powerful to me. How can we fear the Lord and still try to light our own fires (control)? The song, “This little light of Mine” comes to mind when I think about this verse. The light in the song is Gods word lighting our path. Will you let Satan blow out your light, to help you make a light of your own or will you trust and follow Gods light? I don’t know about you, but I am tired of “laying down in torment”. I want to follow what He wants for my life, I want to follow His light.

I don’t need proof before it happens. There are so many times I look back on in my life and say, if someone wouldn’t have been praying over me, I wouldn’t be here today. The sad part is how long it took me to realize it. Focusing on that will do me no good now though. I just need to praise Him from where I am and take the next step in my faith every time one becomes available.

In the end, we become more of a Proverbs 31 woman as we work towards releasing control and blindly following. We are able to look at the future and know He is in control. No matter what we face, He is beside us.