Wonderfully fashioned
Lovingly formed by God on the day He created Adam and Eve
Her role is honorable
At the side of every great man stands a great woman
Precious to God’s heart
He calls, “You who dwell in the gardens, let Me hear your voice!”
Her position is exalted
Generations are raised at her knee and bless her

King Solomon describes a woman with the most honorable of qualities. Here is the beautiful portrait of all that a woman can be:

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is still night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates. Proverbs31:10-31

Shattered Dreams

A young woman dreams of a beautiful life. One day she will meet the perfect man, who will take her into his home, and she will live with him happily every after. She will be secure, and her children will fill the house with joy and happiness. She looks ahead to this life with anticipation, her thoughts weaving the dream as a tapestry of love. Then suddenly the light of the sun bursts in on her, and she awakens from her dream to find herself in a house of strife and conflict. She discovers that the man of her dream is another person entirely, and all her hopes and expectations are shattered. The tapestry is torn to shreds. Instead of love, there is hate, and the dream is only a mirage. The love story is over before it ever really begins, but the struggles of life have only just begun.

The realities of life for many women today are heartbreaking. Seldom do they close their eyes at night in quietness and peace. Their condition is exactly the opposite of what God intended for His daughters. The pain and strife they live with are a terrible distortion of the beautiful picture God first painted for the home—a place of peace and security, full of the joys of life. God’s character and His plan have not changed, but we have distorted the true picture as we have tried to carry out that plan without fully understanding the character and the ways of God.

What happened, I wonder? My dear lady, let us look together at the place of the woman in this world, and see what we might learn. Her pain and suffering throughout history have been great, and so it is still today for women in many parts of the world, particularly in our Arab countries, where religious teachings often hold little regard for the value of human life.

Whether we acknowledge or deny it, the woman is the backbone not only for the family, but for the whole of society. You, dear lady, play an important part in God’s plan, and are immeasurably valuable to Him. God’s plan is to bless you, and to make you a blessing to your husband and your children, so they might be raised up to take their own rightful place in this world as well.