Strands of Pearls
Julia Bettencourt

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.    Proverbs 31:10

I've never done a devotional on the Proverbs 31 Woman before, although I've used bits and pieces from the passage here and there. Ladies have asked me over and over if I've done one or will I do one of it but I've just always felt that it is such an overdone topic. It's been used throughout history to be an example of the Christian Woman. Hundreds of ladies books and Bible studies have been written on the Proverbs 31 Woman. It's not that I don't love that passage of Scripture and think it's a wealth of information but I've just never felt the need to expand upon it more than already has been done. However, lately I just can't get the passage off of my mind.

Many ladies tell me that the Proverbs 31 Woman intimidates them and I must admit that when I was younger, especially when I first got married, it used to intimidate me too. The list of characteristics of a woman that can be taken from the passage is just overwhelming. It makes me chuckle when I think back over the years of young men I've known that had their 'list' of characteristics from Proverbs 31 of the woman they wanted someday to marry. If they kept with that, I'm sure they are old and still in bachelordom as no woman automatically has all those characteristics. Not that you don't have certain qualities you look for in a mate but men just can't pick a total complete Proverbs 31 Woman off the shelf.

Now that I'm 40 'something' I find now that I look at the Proverbs 31 Woman as a string of pearls. Each characteristic that she embodies being a pearl on the strand of our life. We don't just automatically have the whole strand put together. Some of us are half stranded!   Many of us are long strands, some short bracelets, and all are a work in progress.

I know some women that get just over wrought that they will never attain the Proverbs 31 Woman example for their life. We've got to face that it is something wonderful to strive to attain but we'll only always be Proverbs 31 Wantabe's. It's like anything else in our lives; we've got to work at it. We've got to work at becoming a good mother, good cook, good wife, and all those other things. Some women are saved later in life and they don't start working on their strand of pearls till late in their particular life. All the characteristics or our 'pearls' don't come naturally to us. Some do, but with others we have to work hard to string that thread through the pearl to pull it onto our strand. Sometimes our pearls get loose and a few fall off and we have to work to thread them back on to our strand.

Here are some of the 'pearls' or characteristics of the Proverbs 31 Woman that we can add to our string.

1. Virtue.    Proverbs 31:10
2. Faithfulness.    Proverbs 31:11
3. Reverence.    Proverbs 31:12
4. Goodness.   Proverbs 31:12
5. Willing Worker.   Proverbs 31:13
6. Good Manager.   Proverbs 31:14,15
7. Industrious.   Proverbs 31:16
8. Strength.   Proverbs 31:17
9. Endurance.   Proverbs 31:18
10. Well Rounded.    Proverbs 31:19
11. Charitable.    Proverbs 31:20
12. Provider.    Proverbs 31:21
13. Well Dressed.    Proverbs 31:22
14. Wife of a Good Husband.   Proverbs 31:23
15. Good Business Woman.    Proverbs 31:24
16. Honorable.   Proverbs 31:25
17. Wise.   Proverbs 31:26a
18. Kind.   Proverbs 31:26b
19. Good Mother.    Proverbs 31:27a
20. Busy.    Proverbs 31:27b
21. Praiseworthy.    Proverbs 31:28
22. Attains or Excels.    Proverbs 31:29
23. Fear of the Lord.    Proverbs 31:30
24. Fruit bearing.   Proverbs 31:31

Conclusion:
When we look at all the wonderful qualities of a Proverbs 31 Woman it can be overwhelming, but if we look at each one as a pearl to thread into our life, we can start to make the strand out of them that God intends for us.

Keeping our life in tune with Christ daily is a big part of making our qualities as women something that reflects Christ, so we've got to work at keeping that in check. Our Bible reading, prayer life, and fellowship with the Lord is what allows us the ability to take that thread in our hands and strand our 'pearls' as we go through life. It makes us the strong and vibrant Christian woman that is a beautiful strand of pearls in the end.

So, are you threading your pearls?

Copyright ©2001-2007 Julia Bettencourt
Scripture References are from the King James Version.
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