Proverbs 31:27

The virtuous woman is conscious of her family at all times. She does not overlook any of their needs. She sees what would help and gets it for them. She does not take it easy as a lazy housewife, and she does not waste time in extra naps, reading, painting, phone calls, Internet surfing, window-shopping, or recreation. She is very diligent and hardworking.

A wise woman is circumspect and redeems her time (Eph 5:15-16). That is, she inspects her family from all angles. She does not take a superficial glance and miss details. She does not need to be told what is needed, because she has identified it herself. She buys back time by not wasting any and working as efficiently and energetically as possible.

A virtuous woman is a prudent planner (Pr 22:3). Life never takes her by surprise. She is prepared for any needs that might arise. She thinks ahead prudently for what will be needed in the future and begins preparation before there is a crisis. She organizes and saves necessary and useful things to help the family in time to come (Pr 6:8; 30:25).

A wise woman has initiative (Pr 13:4). She is not like a child. She does not need to be asked or told what to do; she has already thought about it and done it. She does not wait until she has to get up: she gets up and gets going for her family (Pr 20:13; 24:30-34). She does not wait for a need to fully develop, for she sees the need coming and covers it.

A virtuous woman is industrious (Pr 21:5). She does not dislike, fear, or resent hard work or long projects. She enjoys working for her family. She willingly works fast and hard; she does not mind sweat and toil. She reaches deep for extra effort to finish even difficult tasks (Pr 31:17). She measures her life and value by her productivity for others.

A wise woman gets excited about building her family and estate (Pr 14:1; 24:3; 31:28). She does not destroy it through laziness or distraction (Pr 11:29; 14:1; Eccl 10:18). She will do anything she can to improve and increase her household and assets. And she does not get involved in affairs of other households (II Thess 3:6-11; I Tim 5:13; Titus 2:3-5).

King Lemuel’s mother described the perfect woman (Pr 31:1-2). The overriding character trait of a great Christian woman is diligence, which is focused, energetic, persistent effort to complete worthwhile family goals. Let every woman rightly fear sleeping in, Internet surfing, social media and texting, phone calls, reading novels, or pretending tennis.

There are not many virtuous women – they are very rare (Pr 31:10), especially in this haughty and spoiled generation (Is 3:16-26; II Tim 3:1-7). Christian women, more than even worldly women, may think their role is to stay at home and take it easy, pacing themselves as a housewife. Try Proverbs 31:10-31 on for size! It fits only great women!