"She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also,and he praises her, saying:

"Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all."

-Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31 is a beautiful passage talking about the virtuous wife. This exemplary woman is said to be worth far above rubies.

Certainly this is the type of woman a godly man is looking for when searching for a wife but have you ever noticed the ending of this chapter? Verse 28 tells us that not only does her husband praise her but her children rise up and called her blessed.

I think the model of the virtuous wife in Proverbs 31 is also a model of a blessed mother!

I don’t believe the Proverbs 31 woman became such and excellent wife and mother on the day of her wedding or on the day her first baby was born. No. I think it took years of intentional practice.

While I don’t think a person can ever be completely prepared for motherhood ahead of time (some things can only be learned by experience) I do think it’s important that we begin preparing for this special job as soon as possible.

5 Things We Can Learn From Proverbs 31 To Help Us Be a Better Mother:

1. Diligence The Proverbs 31 woman learned the art of diligence. We can see that she was a hard worker who carried out her tasks well and in a timely fashion. Diligence will be needed to tenderly and carefully train children. This is a trait we can begin learning even before we have children.

2. Compassion A good mother has compassion. The blessed mother and excellent wife we read about was always caring for her family and extending herself to the poor and needy. Are you cultivating seeds of compassion in your life?

3. Servant’s Heart The Proverbs 31 woman has a heart that desires to serve others. This passage says she goes to great lengths to gather food for her family and she rises when it’s early to prepare it for them. Having a mother with a loving, servant’s heart is a valuable gift for a child and it’s something we should start growing and learning now.

4. Wisdom “She opens her mouth with wisdom”. Typically the only way a person can speak wisdom is if they first gain wisdom in their heart. Begin planting in your heart spiritual and practical wisdom by studying, observing and intentional learning. I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been to me to have a wise mother.

5. Kindness The Proverbs 31 woman is a kind mother, “the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Perhaps this is the one of the greatest gifts a mother can give her children, kind affection, in both her speech and in her actions. Again, this is something we must strive towards and learn because kindness doesn’t always come easy when the days are long and challenging.

Single woman, wife without children yet, I’d like to encourage you to take time now to learn what it takes to be a Proverbs 31 wife AND mother. This will be a gift to your husband and a huge blessing to your future children. May it be said of you:

“Her children rise up and call her blessed” -Proverbs 31:28

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Blessings,

Ashley