Proverbs 31 Woman

Thinking back over my prayer journals, one thought comes up a lot. I want to be a better wife and mother. There is a description of a woman that begins in Proverbs 31:10 that is THE woman. I've decided to go through it one verse a week and look into what makes her tick. I can work on the same traits in my own life and maybe feel like I'm getting somewhere. Join me on Thursdays when I'll share this week's verse.

You can see Verse 10 here.

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Verse 11:

Proverbs 31:11
Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.

Character Traits:
The words “trust” and “enrich” seem to be important here.

Character Trait 1:
Trust

Definition:
--firm belief in the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; a person or thing in which confidence is placed

Verses in the Bible about it:
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;.
Matthew 6:28-30
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Matthew 25:14-28
Parable of the talents
Nehemiah 1:11
Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

Summary:
Most of the verses Bible Gateway pulled up for me had to do with trusting in the Lord rather than being trustworthy. I tried looking up trustworthy as well but got no results. Obviously, the Lord is trustworthy because he fits the definition above. He is worthy of our confidence and belief, likely the only One who truly is. I did catch the Nehemiah verse there that suggests he was trusted with good reason. I think the point of this woman’s husband trusting her is the confidence he feels in her.

Character Trait 2:
Enrich

Definition:
-- to make rich or richer; to enhance; to increase the proportion of a desirable ingredient

Verses in the Bible about it:
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all..
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.


Summary:
Again, there really weren’t a lot of verses that used that specific word or phrasing. What I see from the ones I found is that trusting in God will enrich your life. Or make it better. Which is how I read this verse. She is making the life of her husband better and more abundant.

Conclusion for this verse:
At first reading, this verse seems just another set of character traits but it is connected to the first after all. “Virtuous” and “capable” both seem to be active traits that work towards a stronger spiritual life while using your strength and skills to enhance this life. “Trust” and “enrich” seem to be related to them as well although they refer specifically to her husband.

To me, that suggests that, in her marital relationship, her husband has trust in her (I assume not just faithfulness but also in the running of the household, etc.) that is well-deserved and she enhances (makes better) his life by being in it. It smacks of Christ-like serving to me.

Comments:
Perhaps one of the best places to truly learn to serve as Christ did is in a marriage. People who are daily living in each other’s faces can sometimes tend to take each other for granted. Loving someone actively as Christ did requires caring for their needs and choosing to ‘enrich’ their lives, even in the face of being taken for granted on occasion. Such servanthood can teach us to look to Christ for our reward while still serving with a willing and loving heart.