Proverbs 31 as a professional woman - Part 2
Embodying and manifesting godly wisdom in the workplace
Last week, I mentioned that the principles in the book of Proverbs broadened my understanding of godly wisdom. I now perceive the Proverbs 31 woman to be ‘wisdom in action’ – because of how she relies on, applies and benefits from godly wisdom – which is also needed in the workplace.
As a professional, she recognises that her job is from God and that it requires His help to succeed. She knows that her success is actually God’s success expressed through her.
She relates to wisdom as a quality that even a woman can possess because the book of Proverbs describes wisdom in feminine terms (see Proverbs 8 and Proverbs 1:20-33).
Success principles
Within the passages of Proverbs 31:10-31, I found 20 success principles that a professional woman can benefit from. I will briefly touch on the first two principles:
Principle 1: A God-loving and God-fearing woman
She fears the Lord (Proverbs 31:30) and this comes from a place of deep love, honour, reverence and awe of Him. She recognises that Elohim created her and blessed her at the point of creation (Genesis 1:27-28).
She loves Him with her whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30) and in loving Him fully, she doesn’t create room for her job or anything else to compete with that love (1 Corinthians 10:31).
As amazing as her job is, she doesn’t idolise it (Exodus 20:1-20) because she knows that she doesn’t work for people but works enthusiastically for the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:23-24).
Her brilliance is not found in her own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-7) because her excellence is revealed by accessing and applying the revelations received from the seven dimensions of God’s power in Isaiah 11:2.
As an act of love towards God, she involves Him in every assignment, doesn’t seek to operate in vain glory or conceit and lets her work speak for itself (Proverbs 31:31).
By loving God with her all, everything else becomes secondary, even the desires of her heart (Psalm 37:4). So, she doesn’t allow her professional accomplishments, rewards, status, job title or anything else in her life to compete with God’s love and His glory (2 Corinthians 10:17-18).
Principle 2: Healthy self-love
“She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future” (Proverbs 31:25) – because she invests in loving herself too (Mark 12:31). She knows that the quality of love that she shows herself will determine the quality of love that she shows to others as well.
Although she is a professional with a demanding job, she doesn’t over-love the job. She has developed healthy boundaries, makes time for herself and incorporates a self-care routine that is an investment in herself.
She knows the power of creating an atmosphere of joy in every area of her life, especially in the workplace, and so she chooses peace (Psalms 34:14). She prays for Him to bless her with satisfaction in her work (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25) so that she can continue to show love to herself and her job as well – without compromising one or the other.
As successful as she is, she is not overly obsessed with her work (Psalm 127:2). As humble as she is, she doesn’t allow her self-worth to be determined by her work or to be compromised because of it because she knows that she is “more precious than rubies” (Proverbs 31:10).
DISCLAIMER: 'Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman' under the theme 'Embodying and Manifesting Godly Wisdom, Success Principles and Effortless Femininity in the Workplace' is not posited on trying to read the professional woman into Proverbs 31 because this will produce an absurd result. However, I have opted to take a principles-based approach that widens the scope to be applicable to any professional woman, regardless of her age or status.
*For more context about who I am and why I’m writing this column, I encourage you to search online for my previous articles titled ‘A New Season’, ‘Seeing God’s Glory Through My Tears’ as well as ‘Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman’. All these columns have been published by the Namibian Sun newspaper. I welcome your comments, inputs, queries or concerns. Kindly address them to [email protected]
As a professional, she recognises that her job is from God and that it requires His help to succeed. She knows that her success is actually God’s success expressed through her.
She relates to wisdom as a quality that even a woman can possess because the book of Proverbs describes wisdom in feminine terms (see Proverbs 8 and Proverbs 1:20-33).
Success principles
Within the passages of Proverbs 31:10-31, I found 20 success principles that a professional woman can benefit from. I will briefly touch on the first two principles:
Principle 1: A God-loving and God-fearing woman
She fears the Lord (Proverbs 31:30) and this comes from a place of deep love, honour, reverence and awe of Him. She recognises that Elohim created her and blessed her at the point of creation (Genesis 1:27-28).
She loves Him with her whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30) and in loving Him fully, she doesn’t create room for her job or anything else to compete with that love (1 Corinthians 10:31).
As amazing as her job is, she doesn’t idolise it (Exodus 20:1-20) because she knows that she doesn’t work for people but works enthusiastically for the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:23-24).
Her brilliance is not found in her own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-7) because her excellence is revealed by accessing and applying the revelations received from the seven dimensions of God’s power in Isaiah 11:2.
As an act of love towards God, she involves Him in every assignment, doesn’t seek to operate in vain glory or conceit and lets her work speak for itself (Proverbs 31:31).
By loving God with her all, everything else becomes secondary, even the desires of her heart (Psalm 37:4). So, she doesn’t allow her professional accomplishments, rewards, status, job title or anything else in her life to compete with God’s love and His glory (2 Corinthians 10:17-18).
Principle 2: Healthy self-love
“She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future” (Proverbs 31:25) – because she invests in loving herself too (Mark 12:31). She knows that the quality of love that she shows herself will determine the quality of love that she shows to others as well.
Although she is a professional with a demanding job, she doesn’t over-love the job. She has developed healthy boundaries, makes time for herself and incorporates a self-care routine that is an investment in herself.
She knows the power of creating an atmosphere of joy in every area of her life, especially in the workplace, and so she chooses peace (Psalms 34:14). She prays for Him to bless her with satisfaction in her work (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25) so that she can continue to show love to herself and her job as well – without compromising one or the other.
As successful as she is, she is not overly obsessed with her work (Psalm 127:2). As humble as she is, she doesn’t allow her self-worth to be determined by her work or to be compromised because of it because she knows that she is “more precious than rubies” (Proverbs 31:10).
DISCLAIMER: 'Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman' under the theme 'Embodying and Manifesting Godly Wisdom, Success Principles and Effortless Femininity in the Workplace' is not posited on trying to read the professional woman into Proverbs 31 because this will produce an absurd result. However, I have opted to take a principles-based approach that widens the scope to be applicable to any professional woman, regardless of her age or status.
*For more context about who I am and why I’m writing this column, I encourage you to search online for my previous articles titled ‘A New Season’, ‘Seeing God’s Glory Through My Tears’ as well as ‘Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman’. All these columns have been published by the Namibian Sun newspaper. I welcome your comments, inputs, queries or concerns. Kindly address them to [email protected]
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