In our continuing look at the Proverbs 31 lady, last week we looked at her attitudes, this week her assets. The first two assets we will look at are that she is trustworthy & has positive influence. These verses specifically reference her husband, but of course could be applied to any relationship.
Verses 11-12 (AMP), "The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil. 12 She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her."
As I mentioned last week, your first priority other than your personal relationship with God, is your husband. So, it’s interesting to note, that the first verses in her story are about her husband's confidence in her. Trustworthiness is a powerful asset to have. Her husband trusts her to prudently deal with the household finances and not carelessly spending his money. She speaks with wisdom and does not bring reproach against him to other people. She is faithful, submissive, unified, and loyal to him. Because he trusts her, he can rely upon her to give him wise counsel about the household affairs and his business. Trustworthiness opens up opportunities to add value and will increase your influence. Because this lady is such, she is able to become more to her husband and be a partner with him. If you can't be trusted by your spouse or anyone else, then you will not be included in the vision and plans they have. Think about the parable of the servants that were given the talents to invest in Matthew 25, the one who was given 5 doubled them, was then was given even more by the master because he was trustworthy. Be trustworthy and faithful and see your leadership influence increase as opportunities unfold for you.
The Proverbs 31 lady spoke well of her husband because she was a positive influence. Men need affirmation from their wives. A woman's opinion of her husband can make or break a man. How do you speak about your husband in private and in public? What you speak about your husband in private either tears him down or builds him up to what he thinks about himself and the same is true for how you speak about him in public which can color people's perception of him. If you speak that your husband is "so stupid, he can't get anything right" even in jest, people will come to think negatively about his ability and intelligence. Be someone he can rely upon to feel encouraged and appreciated instead of ridiculed and belittled. This is true with anyone to whom you have influence over. Leadership influence is either positive or negative, be the one who encourages and looks for the good instead of negatively influencing people.
Verses 21-22 (AMP) "She fears not the snow for her family, for all her household are doubly clothed in scarlet. 22 She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made]."
If you don't plan to succeed you plan to fail. The ability to plan is an important asset to have as a leader. Some people are natural planners and some struggle with it. I believe that everyone can learn how to organize and plan affectively, but it takes work and discipline if you are not naturally gifted in that area. If you want to achieve the dreams and visions God has given to you, then you need a plan of how to get there. The proverbs 31 lady is a planner with an element of foresight. Sometimes you have to expect the unexpected in life so you can meet it with readiness. Being a good leader, you learn to expect those unforeseen "life-just-happens-things" and you are able to work through it without having a complete meltdown, but it takes work and experience.
These are only and handful of her assets, and so important to becoming a great leader! Here are some questions to ask yourself. Are you trustworthy? Can the Lord trust you to follow through with things are has asked of you? Does your husband or other people trust you? Are you a positive influence or do you speak negatively? I struggle with having a negative attitude and this is something that I'm diligently trying to work on. I desire to be full of encouragement. Lastly, are you a good planner? Is it something that comes natural or something you have to work on? Are you succeeding in accomplishing your plans? If not, I encourage you to do some research on how to plan and set goals, so you can achieve all you desire to. We will be discussing planning and goal setting in an upcoming Mary's Circle.
Look for the next devotional next Friday, until then have a great week!
~ Melissa
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