That Girl

I went to a christian high school (Go Wildcats!) and a christian college (I don’t remember our mascot, how sad is that!) so I have heard the lesson of the Proverbs 31 woman a couple of times. I hate it. It annoys me. It makes me feel like I am suffocating.

At Moms and Tots last Wednesday, our speaker was speaking, I was hunky dory hanging out listening, then she started talking about the Proverbs 31 one woman. I felt my lip snarl and my mind tune out. We were to read Proverbs 31 and pick out features we felt she demonstrated. I felt my annoyance growing. Thankfully the girls at my table were very cool and I actually learned a couple of things. Things that made me rethink some of the other things I had been taught.

1. This lady had maid servants. Not one servant, but servants with an “s”.

2. She dressed herself well, meaning, she spent at little money and time on herself.

3. Her husband was a KING. Now, I am not saying, money buys happiness, but let’s be honest, it can help.

Then, the kicker. This was one of my very favorite things I have learned in a long time. This description was written down by a woman and given to her son the king as a list of things he should look for in a wife. DO YOU HEAR ME? This person never even existed. Not only did she never exist, she was dreamed up by a mom creating the perfect daughter in law. I mean, who knows how the conversation went, the mom hands the son this list. The son says, “Thanks Mom, but really I just want a girl with a nice booty and a good since of humor. And you know I have always been a leg guy….”

For some reason this cracked me up. I was never one to read this chapter and cry about all the ways I don’t live up to the mystery lady, but someone else telling me I should compare myself to her, always bothered me.

What I took away from this was, strive to be the best version of you. Everyone has room for improvement, but not everyone’s strengths are the same. Not everyone’s weaknesses are the same. Not everyone likes to work with wool and flax ;). No woman will ever live up to the list their mother in law has made for their husband (except of course, my future daughter in laws, because they will be perfect).

PS There are some wonderful qualities listed here that we should hope for in ourselves, such as optimism, loyalty, and compassion. But there are also things missing from the list (in my opinion of course!).