GUEST BLOGGER LAUREN CREWS
She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. —Proverbs 31:22
Once upon a time, a little girl dared to dream in multi-colors and cheerful melodies. She loved to play dress-up. Her tiara gave her the regal title of princess. The jewels around her neck adorned her with beauty and identified her as worthy. Unfortunately, she soon learned that it wasn't sticks and stones just breaking her bones, but the words of others felt like an onslaught of a raging river drowning her. As she flowed through life, these words felt like rocks jutting from a riverbed. As she bumped along the harsh edges, the colors in her world became muted, and the music began to fade. Those once playful jewels became baubles of disappointment and shame, choking out how her loving Father in heaven viewed her. They hung from her neck with little value.
I wonder if you can identify with this little girl. Do you remember the dreams you once had? Or maybe you, too, know how it feels to have a deluge of doubt pour down on you, replacing the life-giving sprinkle of God's loving words. Life's hard edges can wear down the best of us and impact how we view ourselves.
I was fortunate to grow up in a Christian home. Even though I was raised on "Jesus Loves Me," I still contended with biblical greats and felt I never measured up. One such contender came out slugging when I became a wife and mother. She wore the robes of motherhood with grace, strength, and dignity. I did not. She honored her husband and knitted and portioned meals, all while effortlessly managing her home. I considered my husband lucky if I managed more than a drive-through meal on my way home from work.
I felt I fell short when I compared myself to the Proverbs 31 woman. In fact, I came to the point that I reasoned her out of my bible. Surely, this passage doesn't apply to today's modern woman. The thing is, it does. But rather than allowing the thoughts of comparison and failure to thunder through our minds, it helps to know a little background on this passage.
Did you know Proverbs 31:10-31 is an acrostic poem? Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each letter holds a pictographic image. You might be surprised to learn that in Hebrew, the passage has multiple references to strength and warfare and several references to the priests in the Tabernacle. Would it encourage you to know it is considered a heroic hymn, which is, even today, sung over women to celebrate their strength?
Proverbs 31:22 says, "She makes a covering for herself, Her clothing is fine linen and purple."
This verse begins with the Hebrew letter mem, in the word marbad מַרְבָד for bed coverings. Mem holds the word picture of water. Considering the image of a raging, fast-moving current, you can understand how the letter is also linked to the idea of chaos. Mem is also a prefix that indicates the female gender.
Mem is a root letter in mother, origin, and womb. In fact, the Hebrew word for mother is em spelled alef-mem, אמ. The pictographs associated with these letters present a picture that a mother is the strong water of life, the life-giver, and around her grows an oasis of life. [i](Isn't that awesome!)
But water can also be destructive. A deluge can destroy life instead of cultivating it. I can't think of a more chaotic place than the devastating floods of comparison, anxiety, and unworthiness that storm through our minds.
So, how does this relate to Proverbs 31:22? Verse 22 describes this woman as making a covering or tapestry in some versions. Think of making your bed. You spread your sheets and a comforter out over your bed like water spreads and covers the land. Isn't that how our thoughts sometimes go, they flow and grow and spread? I'm sure when the anxiety and doubts in life begin to flow, and the chaos in our mind stirs, some of us would like to crawl under those bed coverings and just hide.
What if, instead of allowing those thoughts to grow into a tempest of crippling thoughts, we remember we are covered and protected by God's cleansing, life-giving waters. With the same intricate stitches the Proverbs 31 woman used to make her cover, all that you are, everything about you, God wove into you, and He covers you with His image. The God of the universe knits you together and takes great pride in you as He spreads and smooths you out as if putting you on display.
I'm not a perfect woman, wife, or mom. My perceived flaws and shortcomings can render me hopeless. At times, I battle chaos in my mind, and it overflows into my home. Proverbs 31 is based on a real woman who poured out her life. Through Proverbs 31:22 and mem, I'm reminded that rather than submitting to the undertow and surrendering to the current, I can renew my mind daily with the image of God knitting into me all the qualities needed to navigate this crazy life and displaying me with pride before the universe. As a daughter of the King, I wear purple and scarlet, the colors of royalty, and clean linen dipped in His blood. I will not be tossed about by the storms in life. Instead, I can be soothed by Jesus Christ. He alone is my living water.
How do you overcome chaos in your thought life when it threatens to drown out the truth of God's word? How can you now look at Proverbs 31:22 a little differently and gain insight from this matron of strength?
Connect with Lauren Crews:
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Lauren's Book "Strength of a Woman: Why you are Proverbs 31"
[i] Frank Seekins, Hebrew Word Pictures, p. 62.
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