On the Woman

 

A gracious woman retaineth honor:..strength and honor are her clothing...She opens her mouth in wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 

Prov 11 : 16; 31: 25 -26  

There has been quite a lot of  teachings, concepts and also a few misconceptions on the subject of this amazing creation that God has perfectly designed for the benefit of the whole earth, and to fulfill the purpose of the expansion of His kingdom. Unfortunately, due to the limit created by the general stereotypical notion of a particular manner that a woman should act or behave, a lot of women have not attained the full potential that God had planned, some has only scratched the surface, and some had it all twisted, therefore getting offended. However this subject explores and points out the deep truths that you may or may not have known, which will enable you enjoy and maximize your potential as a woman or the woman in your life. 

Firstly, the opening scripture aligns out some amazing attributes of a woman : Strength, Honor, Wisdom, and Kindness. The virtue of strength is one attribute that is deeply infused in the woman from the time of her creation. At the very first mention of the woman, Genesis 2: 22 recorded that " the rib, which the Lord had taken from man, made he the woman..." . So the woman is made of bones which is a strong substance symbolic for strength. This shows that the woman is the 'strong side' of the man. Genesis 2: 21 stated that God took one of Adam's ribs and  COVERED it up with flesh, and then used the same rib to make a woman; and Adam being spiritually sensitive, as soon as he woke up and saw her, exclaimed : BONE (strong hold, fortitude) of my bones and FLESH (covering) of my flesh. So, although the woman is delicate in frame, she is indeed strongly built within, and designed as strength and covering to the man; 1 cor 11 : 7 speaks of her as the glory of the man. 

Also, another important point to note is that the woman was created directly into a home : the Garden of Eden; she was primarily made as a help to keep the house. God considers the home and family, of great importance and gave the woman to be in charge of it. So, while the man may be the head of the woman according to 1 cor 11:3, the woman was actually placed in charge of the house to keep it. This was buttressed where Psalms 113 : 9 said that God maketh the barren [lone] woman to keep house. This means that the house, being a 'garden' is her constituency; it is a form of a ministry that God placed in her hands, which he considers a noble task. Luke 8 :2-3 talked about certain women who ministered to Jesus out of THEIR substance. So, as a woman, the house is indeed your primary responsibility and your first office; the services you render to your spouse, children, or even parents is the cheapest way of laying up treasure for yourself in heaven and getting reward for your stewardship. So whenever you do the dishes, change the diapers, cook the meals, take care of your household, raise godly children or any other service you may be rendering in the house, always remember and have an understanding that you are in your own harvest field doing a great work to the Lord and for the Kingdom, which he will abundantly reward. 

On the other hand and contrary to the opinion of the woman being confined or limited by marriage or internal house duties, the woman's space spreads out to the external to having a work of hand. Poverbs 31 : 13-15 explains that ideally, a virtuous woman worketh willingly with her hands...and she bringeth her food from afar. This means that she's not to be in confinement because of the house, but at liberty to have a work of hand, and to go 'far and wide' to bring in her food. She also has a freewill in decision making and initiating actions. Verse 16 of Prov 31 provides an instance where she CONSIDERS a field, BUYS it and PLANTS a vineyard with the fruit of her hands; and in vs 18 she stays up late at night planning her next business deal. Exodus 35 : 35 actually consider any woman who has a work of hand as wise : 'And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands...'. So, innovation and diligence are part of her character build-up. 

Also, the woman has a similar trait as the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit was given to us to help us in all things, in like manner was also the woman sent. Her trait and comportment has as much tremendous effect as the Word of God has on a man. Peter talking about her the potency of her humble behavior in his first letter, said : ...if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives (1 peter 3:1). Ezekiel 11: 19 was what similarly took place in human form at the instance of  her creation. God said : I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them...and in her creation, God took a rib out of Adam, replaced it with flesh, used the rib to form a 'word' in human flesh, and brought it back to him as a help! So, the woman possesses such power through her words, thoughts and actions to turn a man from his bad way to living a godly life. 

In essence, the woman is actually packed with enormous amazing ability from the time of her creation. She is strong, she is a glory to behold and a covering for the man, she is industrious, diligent, honorable, wise and her character is so powerful and influential that the effect that comes from it can be likened the same effect as the word of God. No being on earth has a help role similar to the Holy Spirit except her, she can do just about ANYTHING she sets her mind to do, as seen in Proverbs 31. Her strength is as firm as the bone she was made of, and her abilities are as dazzling as the sun shining in its strength. However, there are certain virtues she also needs to have in order to channel this light that blazes out from her, into a constructive warmth for the enjoyment of people around her. This is the reason why the scriptures laid so much emphasis on her being humble and submissive; not because she wasn't considered useful or that her opinion didn't matter, but because the energy her strength exudes, just like the waves or charges from a naked electric, might cause harm if not coated with humility. 

Humility, quietness, sobriety and wisdom are some of the major attributes that the woman needs on the high side for her to be able to properly channel her strength into the right direction to achieve maximum impact. Humility, which is also called meekness*, is strength put under control; and 1Peter 3:4 likened it to an an adornment that she needs to always have on her. It said : whose adorning...let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price...For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands. So, it is in being submissive, quiet and humble that she would able to maximize that side of her that is similar to the effect the word of God, to win the man over..and God considers this virtue worth a great price; so all the money is the world is still not worth this particular virtue. 

These virtues, because of their high value are not found on the surface, they sometimes may not come natural to you, therefore it requires a deliberate effort and practice dig them up. 1 Thessalonians 4: 11 said study to be quiet, 1 timothy 2 : 11 said learn in silence, 1 peter 1 : 13 advises to gird up the loins of your mind and be sober, in verse of chapter 3, it asks to be in subjection, Ephesians 5:22 said to submit yourself, Proverbs 14 : 1 said that the woman who is wise builds her house, and prov 11 : 6 says that a gracious woman retains honor. So, it is indeed by a conscious, deliberate and consistent effort which is boosted by the Spirit that the woman is able to harness the power in her for the right use. This is how all the honorable women in the past made their mark and still remained relevant till today. Women like Sarah, Esther, Mary, Jael, Hannah, Rebecca, Ruth; each one of these women all passed through this process of humility and submission, and stooped to conquer. So indeed, the woman's strength is found in her submission and though she is placed under the man as her head, she takes charge of things through her chaste conversation coupled with fear [reverence] in all humility. (1 peter 3 : 2). 

So, dear woman, have you been feeling neglected, ignored, not needed, inadequate, inferior, incomplete, incompetent, not good enough, tied down by labels and stereotypes, frustrated at being a woman and fighting for your voice to be heard and rubbing shoulder with the male counterpart or maybe even disappointed that you are a woman? Think again. What you just read and saw is the true presentation of who you are from your inception. You don't need all the fuss to make your voice to heard, your presence on earth is already loud enough. You are an undercover boss clothed in honor, wisdom and dignity; and guarded with submission, patience, faith, quietness, humility, and hard work. So, get excited, get yourself back up and jump right in to live your life to its maximum as the WOMAN God, your creator, has made you to be! 

God bless you! 

* for more on meekness, you can find it here : 

https://dsentwords.blogspot.com/2020/03/on-meekness-humility.html