Number 7: Femininity’s Creator and Helper is God

Woman… God’s Good Thing! An In-depth look into Femininity from the Proverbs 31 Woman

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Most women catch on early in life that there is definitely a sensual part of us that will (usually) “move” even the wisest man.  The world tends to think that Christian women aren’t in touch with things like sensuality.  It’s not that we are not in touch, it’s just that most of us understand the concept: use it, don’t abuse it!  We can do sexy, but we choose to keep it between us and our husbands and don’t feel the need to exploit it or wear it on our sleeves.  As for performing for the men, it’s not that we don’t know how… it’s just that we know better!  We also know the answer to the question, to what avail and to what profit is any favor that is relinquished to you based on your sensuality?  If you act to gain their favor then you must keep on acting to keep it and you will miss out on every part of you that is authentic and real.  Also worth considering, the performance can get old quickly to most men and trying to keep up with it all will eventually become exhausting to you.  Performing for the world while you ignore His commandments is an unspoken message to God that your fear and reverence is more toward man than Him.

It’s not that women don’t need the favor of man, we most certainly do (not everyone just the right one).  Every successful woman that is mentioned in the Bible had the help and favor of some man.  Those listed as having found favor with man also were noted for their fear of God.  There are others that were noted for making their own way but their ending was not anything that would entice you to imitate them.  There were women who performed to gain favor and there were women who prayed and trusted God to give them favor.  You might ask, "What’s the difference?"  Well, one of the differences is this; if you follow God and wait on Him to give you favor then you will also have His help with timing.  God not only knows where you need to be but He also knows when you need to be there.  Because this is the beginning of a New Year, you will probably hear a lot of messages about vision and while vision is important, please be mindful of timing.  Performance driven lives are almost never in sequence with what God is doing.  But women who fear God are led by His Spirit and always seem to be in the right place at the right time.

As women, we will probably always care about man’s opinion to some degree and will sometimes be tempted to perform for their help or approval.  After all, we are the glory of man and it’s hard not to desire their acceptance.  As Christian women though, we must understand who it is that is the greatest and who it is that offers us the greatest reward.  God will give honor to the women who fear Him and He will give favor to all of those who hold His word in high regard.  The blessing of the Lord is not one that man can assign nor can he withhold.  Our God is a great God and is in charge of favor, woman and man. He will help us because we are the creation of His hands.  Give us of the fruit of our hands and let our own works praise us in the gates.  We are women…God’s good thing!

Loving U Like a Sister,

Regina

Number 6: Femininity Has an Instinct for Balance and Order

Woman… God’s Good Thing! An In-depth look into Femininity from the Proverbs 31 Woman

The Proverbs 31 woman watched over the ways of her household and did not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arose and called her blessed; her husband also, and he praised her.

Women were designed to produce and are miserable when they are not.  It doesn't have to be a "baby", we just want and need to be a part of something that we can feel good about.  Production has a lot to do with career choices and can be a part of the reason why married women sometimes go in search of a job.  Now I know that you might say, "Maybe it's because she needs the money".  In some cases, that's definitely true.  Most households could benefit from more income, but never underestimate the power of personal satisfaction that is gained by the production that her job offers.  For the woman with the family though, she could very well end up in a major struggle for time, balance and order.   God understands all of this and gave femininity a nature that draws her toward balance and order and His Word can be completely trusted as her guide.

Purposely prioritizing your day (or your life for that matter) in agreement with God’s word, will be one of the wisest decisions you will ever make.  Choosing to ignore the order given in God’s word will always be a set up for failure.  It may not look like failure to the world but women who ignore their responsibility to their children and husband will certainly not like the ending result.  Note the women who strive to keep intimacy with God, their husband and children.  They are the women who have less chaos, confusion, and yes, infidelity in their life.  Today, women are much busier than they’ve ever been but I’m not sure that their production is at its best.  Sometimes where we choose to produce can end up being a time thief more than a place where we are actually producing.

I can tell you that I have many women friends who are stay-at-home moms who have a full day of production.  I also have many women friends who have a family and a job who seem to stay in a healthy balance.  Of course, I do know some on both sides who have neither.  Balance and order in our life has nothing to do with a career choice but a lot to do with devotion and even more to do with peace of mind.  Femininity is instinctive at keeping things in order.  We have a natural and spiritual ability given to us by God that causes us to think about Him, our family, and how to prioritize it all.  Women that have learned how to produce (whatever or wherever) with their family getting their fair share of time have achieved the real success.  Wives who have prioritized their daily routine, with their husband not feeling left out at the end of the day, are women who understand more than just a few things about life.  If the Proverbs 31 woman could accomplish all that she did and still remained watchful over her household, she not only understood balance and order... She mastered it.

The Proverbs 31 woman was very busy, but not too busy, to look after her own household.  The instinct for order and balance is in every woman.  Never override that voice inside your heart that is helping you make decisions based on what will give you peace of mind.  Production is a good thing!  Production with balance and order is an even better thing.  Log on next week for the final segment in the study of Woman... God's Good Thing.

Loving U Like a Sister,

Regina