Rev Francisco BilogText: Proverbs 31:10-31
Survey’s suggest that many men fantasize about marrying a supermodel. Survey’s also suggest that many women fantasize about punching a supermodel in the nose… repeatedly.
Why is that? It’s because the images we see on the covers of magazines aren’t real. Society has created an image of what the perfect woman is, and that image is unattainable. Real women, aren’t 5 feet 10 inch tall, 110 pound size 2’s who have been surgically enhanced and airbrushed. Real Women are mom’s and wives. And real women are often taken for granted.
One man came home from work one evening and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn around the garden. The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog anywhere. As he walked into the house he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over and the throw rug was against one wall. In the front room the TV was on the cartoon channel with the volume blaring at full blast. The family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was standing wide open, dog food was all over the floor, a broken glass was under the table and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. Fearing the worst, he frantically headed up stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, to look for his wife. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out of the bathroom door. As he peered inside, he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn all over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife curled up in the bed in her pajamas and reading a book. She looked up at him, smiled and asked him how his day went. He looked at her in bewilderment and asked, “What happened here today?” She smiled again and said, “You know how you come home from work every day and ask me what in the world do I do all day?…” “Well… I didn’t do it today.”
Now I want all of you ladies to know that I mean this as a compliment in the best possible way, so don’t misunderstand me. That is a real woman.
According to a Ladies Home Journal survey, 85% of women say that motherhood is the best thing that ever happened to them. When asked what the greatest thing about being a mother was, 21% said it was watching their kids grow. A category called “Everything” came in second at 18%. followed closely by their kid’s unconditional love at 14%. 98% of the mothers polled said they had a close relationship with their children. 99% said their greatest hope for their children was that they would grow up to be “good people.” 97% hope their children have good marriages some day and 79% hope their children grow up to have a successful career. Interestingly enough, only 19% want their children to become rich. Maybe the most significant statistic of all is that 70% of all mothers consider motherhood to be extremely stressful. The survey showed that about a third of all mothers spend 10 or more hours a day with their children. Another 47% devote between 4 and 9 hours a day with their children. The truth is that no mother feels that she is doing everything perfectly. 75% wish they could give their children more guidance and better advice and 69% wish they could give their children more time and attention and nearly 80% of the moms with full-time jobs wish they could give more time to both their job and their children.
I’m not saying any of this to tell you how to be a better wife or a better mom. I simply want to say thank you for all you do for your families. The passage of scripture that is, quite possibly, used more than any other passage on Mothers Day is Proverbs 31:10-31. I personally have used it three out of the last four years now. I love this passage because it is tribute to the real Super Models of the world. It’s a description of what God’s Super Model looks like.
I guess the first question we have to ask is, what is a Super Model. The dictionary defines “Super” as an article of superior quality. A “model” is defined as a standard or example for imitation. So a “super model” should be someone of superior quality that would serve as an example for others to imitate. Our problem is that we have chosen to imitate the wrong people.
To be honest, the woman we read about in these verses seems to be superhuman. She should have a great big W on her chest which stands for Wonder Woman. She is the ultimate Godly Super Model and we can learn a lot from this woman.
I. God’s Super Model is a model of Stewardship.
I know that the minute I mention stewardship, half of you thought to yourselves, “OH NO! He’s gonna turn this into a tithing sermon!”, and the members of the finance committee are thinking, “WOO HOO! He’s gonna turn this into a tithing sermon!” Tithing is only a part of stewardship. Tithing is what we do with the tenth of our income that belongs to God. But stewardship involves what we do with the whole 100% of what God has given to us. And the stewardship that I’m talking about here has to do with how you manage the 90% that is left over after you have given the tithe to God.
A large part of this passage concerning the Wife of Noble Character has to do with her good stewardship. She was a woman who knew how to SHOP! All the women just said “Oh YEAH!” Most women love to shop. I have never studied human genetics, but I have to believe that God somehow programmed a love for shopping into the DNA of a woman. This women didn’t shop just to spend money though. She shopped to find the best deals and to make the most with the money she had. She made good deals. She was the original extreme couponer. Let’s face it, that kind of stewardship requires a lot of hard work. Verse 15 says “she gets up while it is still dark.” Verse 17, “She sets about her work vigorously.” Verse 18, “Her lamp does not go out at night.”
Now I’m sure some of you guys are thinking, Hmph! Shopping isn’t hard work.” Oh huh! I’ve been shopping with my wife. I don’t want to do that job. In fact, I work hard to get out of going shopping with my wife. I sit there and watch her clipping coupons and looking up the latest good deals on the internet and finding out which stores to go to in order to get the best deals on which products and it absolutely overwhelms me. My wife comes in with the groceries every week and every time she has been to no less than four stores. Sometimes she has been to as many as 10 different stores trying to get all the best deals. I don’t go into 10 different stores in an entire year if I don’t have to. But my wife comes in and she’s so excited telling me about all these good deals she got and how they paid her to take stuff. I just nod my head and smile real big and ask, “How much did you spend?” She can’t wait to tell me how much she SAVED! Sometimes I don’t even ask, because I know, she’s getting good deals.
Verse 11 tells us, “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value, she brings him good not harm.” I read that and I think, “DUDE! I married a Super Model!”
II. God’s Super Model also Makes her Husband Look Good
. Half of you here are thinking, “DUDE! You did marry a Super Model, because she DOES make you look good.” I KNOW! I also know that a lot of you ladies are looking at me and thinking, “HAVE YOU MET MY HUSBAND? There’s not a photo shop program in the world that is good enough to make him look good.” You’re probably right, but hear me out.
In verse 23, Solomon tells us, “Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” I think Solomon wrote that because he knew that man’s wife played a huge role in getting him where he was. You’ve heard the old saying, “Behind every successful man is a stunned father-in-law.” Wait, that’s not right is it? “Behind every successful man is a good wife.” And it’s true.
Let’s face it men, if it was up to us to do all the things our wives do, there would be a lot of stuff that would never get done and we would be in dire straits. We wouldn’t have clothes to wear, (because we don’t like shopping or doing laundry.) We’d weigh at least a hundred pounds more than we already do because we’d be eating fast food three times a day instead of having home cooked meals. We’d never touch a vegetable and our kids would look like rug rats. Seriously! You don’t want to know what my three year old little girl would look like if it was up to me pick out her clothes, and fix her hair every day.
Our wives make us look good and they make our kids look good too. They do it because they love us. Either that, or they’re just embarrassed to be around us and they’re trying to make the best of a bad situation. Who really knows? Either way, we should be grateful.
III. In Verse 25 we read that God’s Super Model is a model of Strength and Dignity.
She is a woman who is full of grace. She speaks with wisdom. She can laugh at the days to come because she has no fear of the future. The picture Solomon gives us here is that of a woman who can stand firm in the midst of any problem life throws her way. She doesn’t crumble and go to pieces when things get tough. She is the momma bear that protects her family, but she does so with dignity.
IV. Finally, God’s Super Model is a model of Godliness.
In verse 30 we read, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” The most beautiful and important thing about God’s Supermodel is her relationship with Jesus Christ. She is a woman of strong faith and strong convictions. She does all that she can to pass that faith on to her children. She prays for her children and she prays with her children. She brings them to the house of the Lord and she prays for her husband, too. She sets an example of Godliness and Christ-like character for all to see. She serves as an example for younger women to follow and she serves as an example of faithfulness for everyone to follow.
Let me finish by saying that, not every man is as lucky as I am, because I married a Super Model. Janette I love you and thanks for being one of God’s Super Models.
Happy Mother’s Day