Each of us reading this was born of a woman. In some circumstances, our birth mother was not the one to raise us, yet in a vast majority of cases, we each were raised and reared by the woman we call “Mother.”
Too often, we relegate honorable treatment of our mothers to one day a year—Mothers’ Day. Even at that, we let this Hallmark holiday sneak up on us, and we haphazardly voice some platitudes of compliments and hurriedly buy a card and flowers for Mom.
What God describes, instead, is a day-in and day-out honorable treatment of them. In fact, it is in Ten Commandments to honor our mothers. It has been said you will know how a young man will treat his future wife by looking at how he treats his mother. How are you treating your mother these days?
Not every woman, even among Christians, can fulfill the ideal we read of in Prov. 31. Yet by God’s grace, many women have attained to that level.
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”
The passage goes on to describe a women who is virtuous, hard-working and compassionate to the poor. She is wise and industrious, as well as organized in her home.
Today’s society, meanwhile, glorifies only women who are beautiful or “sexy.” Even in outward beauty there is no restraint as “pretty” has given way to “hot.” Think of the very notion of “Desperate Housewives” to see how far we have digressed from God’s best.
What the Bible extols, however, is not outward beauty or youth. God extols something more lasting. When shopping for your mother (or wife or sister or daughter-who-is-a-mother) this year, try to think of gifts that underscore this lasting value. Do not buy her hair coloring so she will look younger or, heaven forbid, yoga classes so she can be trendy, or a self-help book. Invest in her lasting characteristics.
In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul describes human depravity as it sank to new lows. He talks about idolatry and lying and sexual immorality. He makes a most interesting statement, saying, “For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature” (Rom. 1:26). In this verse, he was condemning sexual sins, but he says, “even their women.” Paul knew that men are more likely to rush into sin.
Today, in our moral freefall, we are seeing that even women are being brought down with it. New statistics show that women are going along with the pornography boom. Women are toying with New Age religion more and more, and giving in to gossip in social media circles. Who will save us?
Thanks be to God, Christ Jesus helps us to stand firm, even in the darkest days. As we continue the downward spiral in America, it is increasingly important to uphold and praise the ideal. So in your own family, when you see the women of the family exhibit Proverbs 31 traits, let’s be like her family.
“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” (Prov. 31:28-30)