Proverbs 31 as a professional woman

On 8 March I had the distinct pleasure of directing the programme for the International Women’s Day celebration under the theme &#039;Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress&#039;.The event was hosted by the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the United Nations in Namibia. I reflected that some might say that this is a ‘man’s world’, but the truth is that after our creation (Genesis 1:27), Elohim already blessed us collectively (Genesis 1:28) – yet many women are still waiting for someone to give them permission to be great, to take up space and to be unapologetically bold about it.We need to realise that we are also His masterpiece and that we were created to do good works, which He already prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10) – yet many of us have been waiting for someone to give us permission to walk in our divine purpose.This requires us to transform through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) so that we can rise into the best versions of ourselves – in alignment with God’s will for our lives. This will elevate us to live out our purpose for our generation (Acts 13:36).To encourage my sisters, I’m starting a series of articles titled &#039;Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman&#039; under the theme &#039;Embodying and Manifesting Godly Wisdom, Success Principles and Effortless Femininity in the Workplace&#039;.I ministered on this topic on 19 August 2023 at the Women’s Conference of the Deeper Fellowship Church Namibia and presented it as a three-part series on Desert Radio (September to October 2023).Challenge:Proverbs 31 does not mention anything about a professional woman in the modern context. I’m keenly aware that the Proverbs 31 chapter was written in the context of the qualities a man is to look for in a wife and trying to read the professional woman into Proverbs 31 will produce an absurd result.Principles-based approach:To resolve the above challenge, I assessed the Proverbs 31:10-31 woman from the perspective of her actions because they reveal what she represents and this gave me principles that I could extract and apply.Taking a principles-based approach widens the scope (beyond a wife) and allows the principles to be applicable to any woman, whether she is young or old, a widow, divorced, chooses to be celibate, devotes herself to ministry or a profession, or cannot have or chooses not to have children.Biblical examples of professional women:Judges 4:4 described Deborah as a wife, a prophet and a leader of Israel and in Judges 4:9 she was part of a military siege against an enemy. As a woman operating in a predominantly masculine environment, would that mere fact exclude her from being considered a Proverbs 31 woman? I certainly don’t think so.The book of Ruth reveals a dynamic woman who beautifully epitomises the essence of a Proverbs 31 woman and she effortlessly manifests it in diverse roles – as a childless woman, a widow, a loyal companion, a working woman and as a wife again.Deborah and Ruth reveal the importance of using the principles-based approach so that the scope widens enough to include women at different ages, stages or phases of their lives, regardless of status, roles or titles.I struggled with relating to the Proverbs 31 woman because I felt like she was too much. But through transformation, I realised that I did not need to read myself into her.I don’t want to be her; I amazingly choose to be me, but with a broad understanding and a keen application of the success principles that the Proverbs 31 woman represents.Kindly accept my invitation to explore &#039;Proverbs 31 as a Professional Woman&#039; under the theme &#039;Embodying and Manifesting Godly Wisdom, Success Principles and Effortless Femininity in the Workplace&#039;.*To get more context of who I am and why I’m writing this column titled &#039;Spirit, Soul and Body&#039;, I encourage you to Google search my previous articles titled &#039;A New Season&#039; as well as &#039;Seeing God’s Glory Through My Tears&#039;.Both were published by Namibian Sun newspaper. I welcome your comments, inputs, queries or concerns. Kindly address them to spirit.soul.body24@gmail.com

Proverbs 31 as a professional woman

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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Proverbs 31 as a professional woman

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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