This month we are going to focus on leadership, as we learned Monday night, leadership is influence. We are all leaders because we all influence someone. We cannot talk about influence without talking about a woman of great influence; she is lovingly referred to as the Proverbs 31 woman. I know she seems too good to be true and so perfect that it can seem daunting to live up to her example. Well, hopefully, by breaking down her story we can learn to apply her leadership truths so we can become great ladies of influence in our world.
Let's first talk about some of her attitude attributes. Attitude can make or break your leadership. Her attitudes set her apart as a great leader. The first one, is based upon verse 13 (AMP), "She seeks out wool and flax and works with willing hands [to develop it]." "Working with willing hands" shows us that she takes great delight to work the wool and flax. Sometimes the monotony of doing the daily work becomes boring and un-satisfying. It is important to remain happy in doing the un-glamorous duties. Why did she delight in this duty? I would venture to say, she kept reminding herself that she was doing it for her family thereby keeping that reason in front of her. Leaders aren't afraid to work hard and keep a positive attitude because they keep the goal in the forefront of their minds and it compels them forward.
In verse 20 (AMP), "She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit]." Two other attitude attributes are compassion and unselfishness. She not only provides food for the poor, but those who are poor in spirit and mind and gives of her abundance, through encouragement and love. She stays filled up so she has something to offer. She looks for people that she can help. As a leader, it is important to have a heart of charity to give back to people. John C. Maxwell, a leadership expert, always says to walk slowly, so that you are not passing by opportunities to help people. Pastor Ray encourages the staff to walk through the lobby slowly and take notice of people and make connections. When we get busy, we often times, flurry around doing what we need to do but miss looking in to the faces of humanity and be willing to encourage and lift up those around us. Leading people means you should love people and put their needs before your own.
Verse 18 (AMP); "She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust]." We see here her confident trust in God; she tastes and sees her work for God and her family is good. She is not afraid to try new ways of doing things. I look at it like this because she trusts in God, she is not afraid of failure, because she knows it will work for good. Sometimes we are afraid to stretch ourselves because we don't want to fail. Failure is a part of growth; we just have to know that we are not a failure if we fail. Thomas Edison said about inventing the light bulb (paraphrase) "I didn't fail, I found 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb; I only need to find one way to make it work." Thomas Edison certainly was not a failure, but he did fail 2000 times to make the light bulb. The key here is that he wasn't afraid to keep trying. Our proverbs 31 lady also let the word of God, her lamp, not go out because she relied upon it through every storm in her life. She also, through the Word of God, drove out fear, doubt, & distrust. Many times as leaders we can let self-doubt, worry, and fear take control, when we have a light in those potentially dark places that will lead us out. We must learn to lean upon the word of God in all situations because it is our source of learning to be the best leader God wants us to be.
The last attitude attribute we will talk about is that she was completely secure in who she was and what she has done. Verse 25 (AMP); "Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!" First off, she knows who she is as a Godly woman, her position in the Kingdom, and her role in the family. Insecurity is rampant with women today and sometimes I think it comes from trying to fill roles that aren't ours. We have lost the clear distinction of where we belong. Are we wage-earners, homemakers, mothers & fathers, where do we fit? There is an identity crisis among women and men, for that matter, the lines are blurred. Women are much more empowered now to become whatever we want, but in that pursuit we try to be and do everything and we get lost in it sometimes, thereby becoming insecure in whom we are and what we really want. First off, the proverbs 31 lady was secure in her position with God. She knew where she stood with Him and had done what He asked of her first. Then, she took care of her husband and then her children. Please don't mistake this, but your first priority is yourself and God and then your husband, followed by your children. Please think of it like this, when you get married, you become one flesh with your husband, so when your relationship with Him is neglected, you are in fact neglecting part of yourself. As a leader it is important to be secure in the position you hold. God has placed these roles in your life so you can flourish and influence those around you in a positive way. Grow where you are planted!
The Proverbs 31 lady is not a super-saint; she is just a lady who is successful partly because she has a great attitude about life. She is confident, secure, delights in her life, compassionate, and unselfish, who wouldn’t want to be around her? God put this fine lady's example in His word, because He knew that following her model we, too could be successful. Why don't we all take some time this week to evaluate our own attitudes, are there any you need to improve upon? If so, then start making changes so you can be a great lady of influence!
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