“She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard…She perceives that her merchandise is profitable…She makes bedcoverings for herself, her clothing is fine linen and purple…She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchants.” Proverbs 31:16, 18a, 22, 24
Instead of rehashing what every book and commentary has adequately covered regarding these work-related verses, let’s use them to consider what could well be one of the greatest divides amongst Christian women:
To work or not to work.
That is the question. Or at least that seems to be the biggest question we bring to the subject of enterprise. Yet my study of scripture doesn’t leave any ambiguity about the subject. In three out of twenty verses of the famous Proverbs 31 text, we see praise for the excellent woman’s ability to be enterprising. That’s a proportionately large amount of text devoted to the idea. The clarity and quantity of that message leads to a sound assumption that God finds no fault in his women showing initiative and resourcefulness that result in a family’s financial improvement. So regarding the matter of work, I’d like to suggest that we’re simply asking the wrong question.
Since enterprise is a valid pursuit for this rare and treasured woman, but at the same time must be subordinate to the greatest priorities of loving God and loving people (Matt. 22:36-40), the question we could ask ourselves that would bring clarity and wisdom to our work decisions would be this:
How many enterprises can I participate in and still fulfill my primary priorities?
This is going to look different for all of us. The truth is, I’ve come to recognize that I don’t have the same capacity that other women do—and that capacity changes in various life seasons. Especially when my girls were young, I knew that I could not fulfill my primary priorities and give a large chunk of time to engage in enterprises. So in light of my capacity and priorities for that season of life, I allowed that pursuit to diminish and only as my capacity for it has expanded have I picked it up to a small degree in recent years.
Because life situations, life seasons, family structures, and personal capacities are different for all of us, we should be hesitant to pass any kind of judgement on women and the types or quantities of enterprise that they engage in. And, lest enterprise be called out as the only potential culprit because there is money to be made, let’s not forget that women who invest too much time in hobbies, ministry, leisure or schooling efforts can be just as guilty of neglecting primary priorities as women who put in too many hours at the office. The assessments we make should be for ourselves and our ability to fulfill our highest priorities in light of the work we engage in—whatever that work is.
To help us do that, I’m offering an evaluation tool based on the noble priorities commended to us in Proverbs 31. Honestly answering these questions will help us determine the degree to which we should engage in enterprising activities.
By participating in matters of enterprise to the degree that I do:
- Is my husband’s trust in my management of our home and family intact and well-founded?
- Is my work doing my husband good and not harm?
- Am I still able to create a prepared and peaceful home for my family?
- Do I have time to be physically healthy and strong? (As far as it depends on me)
- Do I have time and emotional resources left over to extend compassion and meet the needs of my community and church family?
- Do I have time to nurture inner strength through time with the Lord so that I am not fretful or anxious, but confident and stable?
- Do I have time to pursue wisdom?
- Do I have emotional resources left over at the end of my work to speak with kindness?
- Do I have the mental energy needed to be attentive to the hearts and details of the family members God has entrusted to me?
- Am I wearing myself out? (Prov. 23:4)
A woman’s enterprising spirit is a valued quality in God’s sight, but as one piece of a larger collection, it needs to be balanced in light of the whole. One the one hand, we can’t discard the notion of enterprise all together as some are tempted to do, but on the other hand, we can’t embrace it indiscriminately at the expense of the other noble practices it is meant to keep company with.
As we evaluate our work in light of that caveat, instead of pointing fingers at each other and standing in judgement, we should remember that one day we will stand before a loving God who has given us life and breath and years and families to steward.
And when we do, we will account for what we have done with ours. Not what she has done with hers.
Originally published at janetsurette.com and used here with permission (and slightly modified).
