Look! Up in the
sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!... Oh let's
get real.
The only place we'll find Super Mom is in the
comics--unless, of course,
we're talking about that incredible Proverbs
31 super hero, VIRTUE WOMAN.
That virtuous woman has long been a
wonderful inspiration, a super
motivation, and a great frustration for those
of us who feel we can't
measure up. While the Lord has used her to
send me in the right direction
more than once, I have to confess to never
having actually arrived at the
destination. The destination, as you might
guess, has been to become Mrs.
Proverbs Perfect -Martha Stewart, Mother
Theresa, June Cleaver and Wonder
Woman all rolled into one strong, industrious,
benevolent lump of
creativity.
I should tell you right up front that I'm no
super hero. It may take me a
good half hour just to get my pantyhose
untwisted. Some mornings I never
do get it right. Those are the days I just
take shorter steps. Try to
imagine me leaping tall buildings in that kind
of pickle. It's not
happening in any number of bounds.
If you see an "S" on my shirt, it's most
likely a stain and probably
means I'm having another bad laundry day. But
if I were labeled a
heroine, the "S" would have to stand for
something more like "Survival
Woman!" The basic goal for Survival Woman is
to keep my five children in
relatively clean underwear (in case they're in
an accident), make sure
they don't run with any sharp objects and to
raise those children without
misplacing any of them.
In my own frustration with the Perfect Woman,
I've entertained that rumor
circulating that she was actually an early
alien visitation. She's always
sounded rather VULCAN to me.
The first words written about this Vulcan... I
mean virtuous...woman in
Proverbs 31:10 are: "Who can find a virtuous
wife?" And it's hardly a
wonder that no one can find her--she's out
buying fields, making matching
red outfits for her family and still squeezing
in time to run her own
home business. All that, of course, happens
after she puts in her
gardening and real estate hours. She keeps
boldly going...and going
where no battery bunny has gone before.
I personally wanted to focus on the word
"maidservants" in verse 15. When
I realized I had biblical grounds for a
housekeeper, I immediately called
"Maidservants R Us" to place my order. Then I
remembered my microwave,
dishwasher, vacuum, and other handy-dandy
luxuries, such as running water
and pre-plucked chickens. I had to admit to
having a few modern-day
maidservants of my own. Painful admission.
Virtue Woman is strong and honorable, wise and
kind, loved by husband,
children and community. When we look at her in
all her glory and feel we
don't measure up, we can find ourselves
resolving to muster up whatever
strength we can to become more like her. Out
of guilt we try to organize,
sanitize, even computerize ourselves into
becoming Virtue Woman.
But verse 25 is one of my favorites. It tells
us that she smiles--some
versions even say "laughs"--at the future. Is
she running around like a
wild woman trying to be like someone else? I
don't think so. I think she
can laugh because she's resting in what the
Lord can do through her. She
must know that her future rests in His
faithful hands. It's a rest that
produces obedience, wisdom, kindness,
fruitfulness and contentment to the
point of laughter. Just think, if you've
learned to rest and laugh,
you've already made some progress toward
virtue.
What the Lord has for your ministry may not be
exactly the same as the
Proverbs 31 Woman (you can now breathe a great
sigh of relief). You don't
have to do everything she does to be
successful (another sigh). True
virtue is becoming a woman who loves, serves
and honors the Lord.
There is great freedom in understanding that
the Lord doesn't wait to
love you until you're Vulcan-like. He's not
expecting Super Mom either.
He loves and accepts you as you are. Striving
for perfection in your own
strength is what will lead to burnout and
major frustration.
Frustration--there's my field of expertise.
But I can also testify from
personal experience that resting in the Lord
brings peace, joy, victory,
and even laughter.
So let's dedicate ourselves to the Savior.
Then the really important
works and character qualities will happen a
lot more naturally than in
our own futile squirming to attain them. Save
the Super Hero syndrome for
the comics.
Honor your God, love your children and you are
Super Mom. Super Mom still
keeps her finger in Proverbs 31. That Vulcan
Virtue Woman can inspire
even a Kryptonian to Live Long and Prosper!
