A Woman of Diligence

“She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.”

~Proverbs 31:17 (NLT)

I don’t know about you, but I love the Proverbs 31 woman! What a woman of noble character! As we examine the scripture and in context, we see that she was the example of the type of woman a mother would want for her own son. This chapter of biblical wisdom stems from King Lemuel’s advice from his mother. It was a God-inspired chapter written for men and especially women to consider and exemplify. It’s actually the same type of advice that I would pass down to my own sons and daughter.

Proverbs 31:1-2 starts off by saying, “The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him. ‘O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not waste your strength on women, on those who ruin kings’…” In Proverbs 31:10-31, he goes a little further to describe the characteristics of a virtuous wife and mother. Yet, the verse that we’re going to focus on today is found in verse 17 which states, “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.”

With this being said, I have a few questions for you. Would you consider yourself to be strong? Are you a hard worker? Are you diligent (i.e., steady, earnest, and energetic, etc.)? Because these are a few of the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman.

As you probably can already tell, I’m energetic! I use a lot of exclamation points when I write (and talk, figuratively speaking). But here’s the thing. God wants us to have energy and enthusiasm as we fulfill the responsibilities as a woman, wife, and mother. He wants to run our race with stamina, perseverance, and endurance.

For me personally, I start the day with a lot of energy, and I don’t mind hard work. I also LOVE Mondays. The reason why I love this day so much is because it’s the start of a new week. I typically say, “Yes! It’s a brand, new work week to take on all-the-things that God is calling me to do.” It’s a new week to share my latest blog post, encourage women around the globe via social media, and work on a few projects.

One of the passages of scripture that encourages and keeps me energetic, strong, and diligent is 1 Corinthians 15:58 where it says, “So, dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

Did you get that, sis? Work “enthusiastically” for the Lord. So, I encourage you to be energetic, strong, and a hard worker. Because this is what a diligent, virtuous woman looks like!