Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Before I go on about my love for this verse, can I admit to the anonymous internet that a part of me wants to hate on this chapter? The woman in Proverbs 31 is a trader, investor, gardener, seamstress, philanthropist, mother and wife that never sleeps. This is a woman who found the secret sauce to do it all. And you know.. I wanted to hate on it. It felt typical for a man to expect all that from a woman. So I looked it up and, apparently, it’s not an arbitrary list of wife criteria some guy made like a douchey Old Testament Bumble bio. It’s a son, inspired by his mother, writing out the advice she gave him. Fitting, right? A woman was the one who ultimately set these unrealistic expectations for women. Well, I guess I will sit my humbled, feminist self back down.
The description is also pretty solid advice to give to a kid… “Now lil Solo, I know you wanna bag that super fine baddie with the attitude, but maybe consider someone with a soul, too.” That’s New Living Shay Translation for “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Now back to the OG verse posted up top. I remember reading that in high school, circling it and telling myself that while I don’t know what I may end up doing in life, I want to commit it to that verse. Somehow, the pieces kept coming together for that come to fruition. I don’t know why, how, or if I’m capable of following through. I keep telling myself “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” I go through my list of people who didn’t feel capable either and have started reading the Bible again. Experiencing it through the lens of an adult feels very familiar yet different and confusing.
Like language, religion seems to be a way to communicate shared human experiences. There’s no right religion in the same way there’s no right language. You can call it Christianity, Judiasm, Hinduism, atheism, whatever you want-ism– at its core, they’re similar concepts filtered through cultural, generational, and geopolitical lenses. While there may not be a right one, you can choose what’s right for you. Call me lazy, but I’m a big fan of Christianity. Let talk about some key players.
Abraham, a man of great faith, sold out his wife, impregnanted his maid, left both her and their son to die and tried to murder his other son in what the Bible called faith, but we’d call psychosis. There’s Jacob, a father who blamed his 11 kids for his father-in-law bamboozling him into marrying their less hot mom. Joseph, rocking the flyest jacket, had recurring narcissistic dreams. Moses had a speech impediment and a murky manslaughter past. Ruth and Naomi were the Old Testament version of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sigourney Weaver in Heartbreakers. Zaccheus was a tax-collector with no friends. Rahab was a prostitute. There was a woman with an incurable never-ending period society deemed unclean. Delilah schemed. Samson was weak…
The Bible is a book about people with choices. They all had the option to stay in their respective “hell” that may have been guilt, shame, evil, or doubt. Or they could choose to want more for their lives; to not know but believe it existed anyway. Every time, the choice was theirs to make. They’re not role models, they were often scummy, but it was never about that. Like them, regardless of the circumstance or excuse, we all have a story to tell. While no one is entitled to listen or care, redemption is yours if you want it. Trying is yours if you want it. Cue Nas.
Will close this out with one last bit- Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. This post started with my goals for life, passed through my fears and ended with my power. I hold the power to try. I hold the power to lift myself and others up if I want. I kinda got lost in a few directions writing this, but I think it ties together now, right? Would’ve been nice if younger me stumbled upon a verse that said “Lady, you might have ADHD or autism or at least need to work out some weird self-esteem issues.” But Proverbs 31 is cool, too.
A Bug's Life 