Devotionals Detail

Proverbs 31:1-31

As we approach Mother’s Day, I can imagine some of you are thinking – I’m not sure I want to show up for church on Sunday. Because for many, Mother’s Day can be a triggering activity – filled with all kinds of emotions. Some might be feeling grief, missing a mother or a child who has died. Others might feel anger, in the mother they wish they had, but was emotionally or physically unavailable to them. Some might feel disappointment in the desire to be a mother and the despair from infertility. Others might feel total overwhelm that can never be lived up to in the expectations of self in being the perfect mother. Why, I wonder - is Mother’s Day filled with so much angst and anxiety? After all, it is only a Hallmark holiday. Yet the expectation of religious ritual embracing Mother’s Day has made it appear a sacred act the second Sunday of every May.

So this year, we are going to honor all of those feelings, by recognizing the complexity of womanhood. I’m going kind of deep theologically to help us unpack some of these expectations, starting with the quintessential passage from Proverbs 31. That’s right – THE passage that has been utilized throughout history to describe the ideal woman. To paraphrase her: she is a wife who is far more precious than jewels, a mother who works into the night to care for her household, and whose children grow up to call her blessed. The Proverbs 31 woman sews clothes not just for her own household but for others as well (apparently some sailors?) She is able to be so business savvy she buys up property for a profit, has a garden of her own in the process, AND knows how to delegate! She’s always got a wise saying to offer others, while having so much positivity she never worries about the future. Oh, and don’t forget, she is giving to the poor while looking so beautiful she doesn’t even worry about vanity. She is strong physically, knows her self-worth mentally, and is able to love herself emotionally. Her husband, who is well known in the city due to all of her integrity – praises her to everyone. Ugh - who is this woman? And why does her image keep being the expectation I have that I can never, ever reach?

Spoiler alert: It’s not you, or me – or anyone else you are comparing yourself with from your past or on Facebook. It’s not the Pioneer Woman, or your grandmother, or even that PTA President who seems to be able to do it all in a record amount of time without ever breaking a sweat.

So relax. Take a breath. Because this “Proverbs 31 Woman” is not a woman at all. So I hope you will come on Sunday morning to find out who she really is. My prayer is that this message will help you have the best Mother’s Day ever: simply by letting yourself be human.