"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
If you indulge in reading old Victorian novels, you will notice the female characters would come to a stressful situation and simply "pass out". Apparently, they convinced themselves that they weren't strong enough to handle it. Unfortunately, I don't think this is what a Proverbs 31 woman stands for. She is strong and capable (Proverbs 31:17). She is not afraid (Proverbs 31:21). In a nutshell, she is not prone to "fainting fits".
There is a difference between "weak" and meek.
There is a difference between being spineless and being spiritually sturdy.
Please don't misunderstand the verses in the Scriptures to mean that women are a frail and fragile gender! We may be second in command (Ephesians 5:23), we may be physically less capable (1 Peter 3:7), but we can and should be just as spiritually strong, fearless and fierce (in a feminine way of course) when it comes to spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:13)!
Ladies, we must maintain a gentle but an enduring strength.
Think of the courageous Esther and the heroic Abigail. There were no fainting fits there. Though they were damsels in distress, they did not get distressed.
There was no fear or timidity but only purpose when that woman thought "If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole."
There was no sign of cowardice when Abigail met the rugged and revenge-filled army of David and "said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid."
There was no feeble and weak-kneed Esther when she declared "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."
Even the mild hearted Mary greeted the Holy Angel with complete composure when she said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." There was no hysterics or panic attacks, there was only trust in the One who sent him.
This earthly life is a battle and the believing woman needs to be spiritually strong (Proverbs 31:25). We have an adversary and need to be prepared for spiritual warfare and dressed in the sturdy armor of God. This can be accomplished by reading the Scriptures, believing what God says and applying it in our lives. To completely cleave to the faith that His promises are true and that His ways will conquer!
And finally, we must always be active in powerful prayer!
"On some such night as this she remembered promising to herself to live as brave and noble a life as any heroine she ever read or heard of in romance, a life sans peur et sans reproche; it had seemed to her then that she had only to will, and such a life would be accomplished. And now she had learnt that not only to will, but also to pray, was a necessary condition in the truly heroic. Trusting to herself, she had fallen."
Dear reader, when I was but nineteen, my grandfather told me a sad story and I cried. To my surprise, he told me, "you gotta toughen up".
Why I thought? -- Just because tears flowed at his tragic tale? My young, tender heart thought him to be rough and I was hurt. However, throughout the years, his comment has haunted me...
When tough decisions were required that I just couldn't "bear" to make, I thought of those words. When following my husband's lead proved to be too hard for my "fragile heart", I thought of those words. When I needed to correct or protect my children from worldly ways but felt "sorry to", I thought of those words.
Perhaps what grandpa meant to say was "grow stronger". Truth be known, many of us are in some dire situations where the
raw and rough words "suck it up!" need to be said (forgive the crude language). In the heat of battle, we must march on! We must adorn ourselves with the sturdy armor of God, we will require skills in the weaponry of the Word and we will draw our power and strength from the Holy Spirit. We will choose to fight with all our might and valor against the forces of evil and we can prevail like the godly women before us!
For our husbands may simply need a smile and reassurance when all we want is to shed tears. Our children need endurance and stability when all we want is to give up. The sisterhood needs encouragement and support when all we want to do is hide ourselves away.
I once witnessed a scene at a hospital of an elderly couple. The aged man was bending over his dying spouse. He told her, "when you thought you were leaning on me all those years, I was leaning on you." I was deeply moved when I heard this. I don't think either one of these faithful believers felt the weight, because both were leaning on God. Both had been relying on His strength. And this same powerful source is what will make us strong and not be prone to "fainting fits" when the going gets tough in this earthly battlefield called life.
"And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not."
~ Galatians 6:9
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
For other posts on "girding our loins with strength", visit:
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