Where is that P31? ATTITUDES of a Virtuous Woman

Attitudes of a Virtuous Woman
      By: Tracey Brewer from Girls to Grow

Do you remember your parents often repeating certain phrases when you were growing up? Perhaps they were common ones like “Practice makes perfect” or “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”

One of my dad’s favorite sayings was “Attitude is everything.” He was attempting to teach my siblings and I that no matter what happened, our attitude played a starring role in the situation.

As I think of the virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31, I try to determine the attitudes that may have characterized her life. While I think many positive attributes can be inferred from the verses given, I found three specific approaches that I would like to emulate.

1. She worked willingly.

   Verse 13 tells us that she worked “willingly with her hands.” You did not hear grumbling and complaining coming from her kitchen or laundry room; rather, she tackled the task at hand with a willing attitude. Setting this example before her family members surely encouraged them to address their tasks in a similar manner.

2. She was joyful.

   In verse 25, we are told that “she will rejoice in time to come.” I believe part of that joy came from what we read about her in the first part of the verse – she conducted herself with strength and honor. Her strong character, developed through her relationship with God, produced inner joy. That joyful spirit is contagious and makes our home a place that others want to be.

3. She was God-fearing.

   That is not a term we use often today, but it comes from verse 30. “A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” In all of her activities – from taking care of her household to reaching out her hands to the needy to preparing fine linen for the merchant – she operated in the knowledge that God is to be respected and honored and given first priority in her life.

My heart is challenged to cultivate these three attitudes so that I might be the virtuous woman God would have me to be. As I learned from my father, having a proper attitude can make a big difference in how I deal with my circumstances.

Tracey Brewer is Mom to two daughters, ages ten and eight, and wife to her college sweetheart. She and her family live in coastal South Carolina where Tracey is enjoying her first year of homeschooling. Her blog, Girls to Grow, covers a variety of topics related to Christian parenting including homemaking, education, saving money, reading good books, and making memories with your children.