ladies and gentleman…. i would like to have your attention for one moment and one moment only! (i hope you imagined that in a circus ringleader’s voice). you see, i just finished water for elephants three days ago and circuses are quite on my mind. not to mention the fact that i just came across a WFE inspired wedding shoot on a wedding blog (which i happened to absolutely adore). as usual, life has been a whirlwind of art projects, music notes, frustrations, date nights, Jesus-meetings, and long phone calls. all i have to say is….. i wish i had time to write more.

one thing i most definitely want to write about it: the proverbs 31 woman. i have been doing a 90 day study on who this woman is/what she is like/how i can become like her. and after sticking my nose in the same passage for 3 months, i revere this woman so much. and i really do long to be like her.

she is a precious gem. her husband doesn’t doubt her for a second. there isn’t a single day where she wrongs the man she loves. she does hard work. (and doesn’t complain about it). she goes the extra mile to retrieve good, healthy food. she doesn’t wait for the sun to rise; she’s up before it rises. she always has food prepared for her family…and even those not apart of her family. she is savvy when it comes to real estate and business. she earns her own money and is smart with spending. she works vigorously and has strong arms to do all the tasks set before her. she is a businesswoman and is always prepared for action. she helps any and all who are in need. she has taken preparations for her family for whatever situation may be thrown their way that they not be fearful. she is a seamstress. and she dresses very well. her husband is a respectable man. she makes money off of the garments she sells. she has strength and dignity. she can laugh at the days to come. she speaks wise words. she speaks with faithful instruction. she watches over what goes on in her house hold. she does not waste time. her children know and say that she is blessed. so does her husband. he says, “many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” charm and beauty are not all that they’re cracked up to be. a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. this woman deserves the reward that is due unto her.

that was my own paraphrasing of course. but just think about that kind of woman for a second. a woman who fears the Lord above all else. a woman who has brought good to her husband all the days of her life. not just the days after she’s said “i do.” a woman who does not sit idly. but who works hard, making her arms strong for her tasks. this woman, whom i aspire to be like one day, loved Jesus and loved others more than anything in the world. (and she must have loved herself a little too because she dressed herself in fine linen and purple -v. 22)! this woman’s beauty and magnitude was known for her character. for her actions. for her words. for the deliberate lifestyle that she lived that brought praise to the Father’s name. after going through this study, i feel as if i have learned so much about this woman. and about who i want to become. (by no means am i at that place yet!) just as with anything in life, persistence is key. as is determination. but the most important ingredient: Jesus. he is what makes this woman really shine. without this woman fearing the Lord, she is simply another “good woman” who works hard and takes care of her family. but oh no, this proverbs 31 is so, so much more than that. she is a woman who works hard and takes care of her family because she loves Jesus and wants to be Him to all people she encounters with in her life. this is the kind of person we should all be aspiring to be. a proverbs 31 woman is rare and precious (just as stated in verse 1)… do you know one of these rare women?