Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
Proverbs 31:25
In the year between my husband’s proposing and our wedding, a fear was constantly on my mind: would I be able to submit? I knew that as a Christian striving to be more Christ-like and aligned with the Word of God, I had to be a submissive wife. But I had no idea what that looked like.
One of the biggest fears this generation of 20-something women faces is submission in marriage. The question high school girls in youth group ask with the most fear in their eyes is, “Are wives really supposed to submit?” More often than not we picture a boring, weak, overly-dependant pathetic woman when we think of a submissive wife.
No one can argue that the Proverbs 31 woman is not a submissive wife. Verse 11 says her husband trusts her. Verse 12 tells us she does her husband good throughout her life. Verse 23 says she adds to her husband’s reputation. How could a rebellious wife who does whatever she wants without caring whether her husband agrees or not be such a blessing to his life?
Today’s verse should show us that being a biblically submissive wife doesn’t mean all those negative things we usually think of. A wife who submits to her husband isn’t boring, weak, over-dependant or pathetic. The Proverbs 31 woman is submissive but also strong and full of dignity and confidence.
The virtuous woman has so much strength and dignity that its apparent to everyone, just like your clothing is visible to everyone you encounter. Her confidence in God is so strong, she doesn’t worry about the future but faces it with a smile. This is as much as part of her character as her willing submission to her husband and all authority.
Biblical submission and strength can and should exist side-by-side. Its time to exchange the world’s ideas of strong womanhood for the Bible’s instruction.
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