Proverbs 31 and the Radical Woman

This week I finally saw a "you can do it" book on Proverbs 31. There are about 5 on Amazon.com explaining how women can't be Proverbs 31 woman."Don't stress out. You can't do it anyway." was a common theme in those books.

How refreshing! Someone who looks positively at P31.

Like all good poetry, there are different correct ways to interpret P31. (One that someone else recently showed me is that the woman in P31 is the church. Try reading it while seeing the woman as the church. It'll open your eyes to interesting new possibilities.)

Let's look at a few verses using the perspectives gleaned from the Theology of the Body.

Prov 31:10 (NKJV) - Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
To me, a virtuous wife is also a radical woman. She is wise and understands her true relationship to her Creator and His relationship to her. She loves her family and knows how to share her relationship with her Creator with them.

Prov 31:11 - The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.
Are we talking about monetary gain? I don't think so. He's gaining a friend, a lover, a companion, a supporter, and an advocate. They are one as Christ and His Church are one. He knows that she won't intentionally betray him or hurt him out of spite.They are united and in communion with each other and the Lord.

Prov 31:26 - She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
Wisdom comes from a relationship with the Lord. The virtuous wife has a relationship with God that gives her insight into difficult situations. There is no need for her to snap at her children, her husband, or even rude strangers. She taps into the Lord's love in difficult situations, since she's in communion with God, and can give out kindness even if her first instinct is to be angry, harsh, or spiteful in return. James talks about the power of the tongue. Those who can control their tongues control themselves. The virtuous woman's tongue is RULED by kindness. This suggests that her entire life is ruled by kindness - one part of the fruit of the Spirit.

Prov 31:29 - "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all."
The virtuous woman's husband praises her with this comment. Don't we all want our husbands to tell us something like this? Unfortunately, we women often think that effort and perfectionism can get us there. But it can't. Living in romantic relationships with our Creator and spouse gives us the strength and ability to live lives of love without the stress of TRYING. Don't misunderstand me, it does take work and sacrifice, but the idea that WE can do it must disappear.

Our romantic relationship - our love relationship - our true communion - with Christ gives us the strength, ability and desire to fulfill our mission as radical women. There are several verses that come to mind. I'm going to paraphrase a few. "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." (aka - When you do things with God, He carries the weight while we work with Him.) "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (aka - God gives us the strength to work through even the things that seem impossible to us.)

I have a friend, she's about my mom's age, whom I believe has a love relationship with the Lord. Her life hasn't been easy or perfect, yet she radiates love and peace. She sets firm boundaries in her life to keep others from stealing from what God asks her to do. She prays through decisions as people request her time (many women do, because they see something special in her and want to learn from her), and is never afraid to say no.

The P31 woman seems so busy, but she does it peacefully and in God's time. The Great Romance between humans and their Savior involves peace, not hurry and bustle.

Equally Mary (who rested at her Savior's feet) and Martha (a hard-working and productive woman), the P31 woman lived a balanced, full, and peaceful life.

With the Lord's help, we too can be blessings to our families, accomplish much, yet live in a state of peace.