Friday, November 2, 2007

The Proverb's 31 Woman


When I saw Amy's post at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 about starting a Carnival Blog for Proverbs 31, I got all excited. I thought, “hey, I can write something about these awesome passages of scripture that describe a godly woman”. There are so many of these virtues I desire to possess as a wife and mother in my own life. As women, we have so much influence in our family, and because of that in Proverbs 31, the Lord gives us a perfect example of what we should strive to model in our lives.

In the very last verse of Proverbs 31 it says, "Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate" (Proverbs 31:31).

When I read these words, I can not help but think of my precious mother who is now with Jesus - receiving her rewards. There are so many verses in Proverbs 31 that would describe my mother perfectly. However, I would like to choose just one for now, and how her example has had such a profound effect on my life.

In verse 20 it says, "She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.”

My mother was raised in a large family and when she was a young girl, she lost her father. Her mother could no longer afford to raise all 10 children, so in those days, children were placed in orphanages if there were no relatives to help. My mother was one of the children who were placed in several different orphanages. She never forgot those days, and all she learned growing up.

My mother moved from Virginia, where she was born, down south to New Orleans once she was older and found work at Bellsouth. This is where she met my father and raised her six children, a niece, and three nephews and a grandson. My mom had such a huge and generous heart. She had such compassion for the poor and the needy. I watched my mom sacrifice so much so that others could have what they needed. There was never a day she was not blessing someone with food or clothing, and even taking them in and giving them a place to live during hard times in their lives. Our home always had an open door for the needy, and our home was full of love, generosity, and compassion.

In Proverbs 19:17 it says, "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done."

As part of the bride of Christ, we must ask ourselves, “Do we open our arms to the poor and needy?” I am reminded of a woman in the Bible named Dorcus who was that kind of woman. When she died, the whole town came out to mourn her departure; for she was compassionate to every needy person, she met. She was a blessing to her community, and in Acts 9 the Bible tells us that Peter prayed for her and God raised her from the dead. Wow, what a powerful testimony of how God honors those who care for the needy, the hurting, and the downcast. This is the heart of God. When we die, will anyone grieve over us in that manner? Will we be remembered as a person who was full of compassion and mercy with open arms to those in need?

This is what I desire to model in my life, and I have my mother to thank for giving me an example to follow. I hope it is what you also desire for your life. I would like to end with a prayer for all of us.

“Lord, I thank you for loving us with such a perfect love. When we were poor and needy, you opened your arms to us, and poured out your compassion upon us. Now, please teach us to be more like you, so that our lives will be a reflection of your love, your mercy, and your compassion as we reach out to needy you bring across our path everyday. Amen!”

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for a beautiful and inspiring post. Your Mother must have been quite a lady. What a grand example for all of us!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome post! I look forward to meeting your mom one day, but until then, I know her and Grams will keep each other company. I am sure they became fast friends.
See you tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Love, Kristin

Anonymous said...

Susan - you are for sure YOUR MOTHER'S DAUGHTER! I find it interesting and conflicting at times that some people grow, open their hearts and aspire to loving gestures through childhood adversity - yet others use hardship and difficulties as excuses for shortcomings etc. You, my friend, while certainly benefiting from your mothers example continue to make the world a better place just by being you and SO much more......XXOO-Love, randy

Maxine said...

Susan, This post grabbed my heart. I think I love your mother, even having never met her. She is for certain a woman after God's own heart and a woman I would want to model. My mom, also now with Jesus, was very similar. She had a heart for those who were down and out and also for those who were sick. May the Lord help us to walk in their paths in this area. Thanks for posting this--it was a real tribute. I am always thankful when those who have gone before us are honored in some way.

Anonymous said...

Hey Susan,
What a beautiful tribute this is to your Mother. The little I knew her, she was indeed, a proverbs 31 woman. She loved her Lord, her family and loved to share what she had. You are certainly her daughter, and we are all benefiting from her example to you and to others.
I love you,
cyndy

Nadine said...

What a beautiful post and honor to your mom.

Kathy said...

Your mother was a wonderful lady, I can tell from the things you've said about her here. This was a really inspiring post. Thank you!

Diane @ A Watered Garden said...

Thanks for sharing this post and a window into life with your Mother. I want to honor the Lord with a giving and unselfish spirit...but I have such a long way to go. Reading of others always inspires me. Blessings, Diane

Anonymous said...

Peyton Manning Authentic Jersey axiotakix
Aldon Smith Jersey axiotakix
Peyton Manning Game Jersey axiotakix
http://www.authenticniketexansjerseys.com

Anonymous said...

ï»?DO NOT cross this centre line as it WILL cause the body to swerve in the water causing a waste of energy The bottom line is that you should read the pool cue reviewsmichael kors outlet
but in the end decide for yourself Early servocontrolled drives used an entire separate disk platter to store this readonly servo dataAlex Smith Jersey
but this was inefficient The Windows updates regularly repair such small flaws and enhance the PC's functionality and efficiency For exampleRay Nitschke Jersey
say the Vikings average 24 points a game and allow 16A.J. Green Jersey
while the Bears score 18 and allow 20 Other men have come and gone but now she is engaged to be married to Kris Humphries a power forward for the New Jersey Nets basketball team
reply:hover > span background-position: -16px 3px; p Streamer flies are cast across and downstream of the anglerRelated topicsUtah Utes#NFLUtah Utes Football Advertisement In totalKevin Ogletree Jersey
18 Utes are on the final roster for an NFL team with 2 being placed on injured reserve- Anti-vibration

Anonymous said...

Hello. Facebook takes a [url=http://www.onlineblackjack.gd]casino online[/url] wager invest in on 888 casino apportion: Facebook is expanding its efforts to tip real-money gaming to millions of British users after announcing a act with the online gambling comrades 888 Holdings.And Bye.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.49ersonlineofficialstore.com/]49ers Super Bowl Jersey[/url] emurbursofs
[url=http://www.patriotsfootballprostore.com/tom_brady_jersey_super_bowl]Tom Brady Jersey[/url] TynckeyncBype
[url=http://www.footballravensprostore.com/terrell_suggs_jersey_super_bowl]Terrell Suggs Jersey[/url] Proonseorek

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.001casino.com/]free casino games[/url] coincide the latest [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com/]free casino[/url] unshackled no set aside perk at the chief [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]charitable casino games
[/url].

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.longchampsacsa.n.nu]longchamp soldes[/url] The first two DSRVs were in the water by 1970 for testing. After successful rescue exercises were completed, the DSRVs were delivered to the Navy and put into service in 1971. The Navy dubbed the two rescue vehicles Mystic and Avalon.. It''s a great game for tailgating parties and other get-togethers, and the board is small enough to fit in the trunk of a large car. It also fits easily in the bed of a Mulberry Tony Laptop Briefcase Black for Men,Buy cheap Mulberry bags from Mulberry uk official factory shop pickup truck. Some people will remember this game from the days when they were in elementary school and had to play it in their physical education class.
[url=http://www.freewebsite-service.com/longchampbagsd/Blog.php]longchamp soldes[/url] In this century the major problem We are a professional online shop that mainly selling different kinds of Mulberry products - Highly Appreciated Mulberry Women's Bayswater Cow Suede Shoulder Black Bag. faced by all humanity is environment sustainability. The growing gap between demand and supply of energy calls for environment friendly alternatives. In the past the major issues were concerned with the carry bags that were not all environment friendly.
[url=http://sportsrantz.com/longchamppliagea/]sac longchamp[/url] The dark alley has a long and not very lovely dog came running to me, gently rub the ceng my legs, they still lie prone on my feet. Leave a root from home and brought out the sausage, patted his head. Got up and go, just quietly way. Besides the high quality of these handbags, they endow the carrier with status and an air of prestige. When someone observes a woman carrying such a bag, they will generally try to sneak a peak to see who the designer is or play a game with themselves called "guess the designer." They get it that the bag in question is one of the highest quality and they start wondering seriously how they might get such an awesome accessory of their very own. This leads us to the next point: Resale value.. The Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Canvas bags are specially designed to suit the fashion and mood of a person on a vacation. It is a spacious bag with a dimension of 19.7inches X 13.4inches X 7.9inches which is quite reasonable to carry all the daily belongings. The bag has an Mulberry Factory Shop outlet sale Mulberry Mini Alexa Leather Satchel Camel Bag sale for you adjustable strap along with its functional units such as the inside pockets with flaps and mobile pouch..