TP31W

TP31W….

…TP31W… It’s not a code…
I finally have gotten to that place where this is not Morse code anymore, it’s not Greek and I am not still trying to crack it… TP31W (The proverbs 31 woman) as most of us know her is, well at least for me, a woman of a character that I know I would strive my whole life to emulate, and eventually -just fall to my knees in despair because no matter how hard I tried I did not think I could be her (she wakes at the crack of dawn 31:15 NLT …. Most times I am too spent to do that)
At the beginning of the chapter King Lemuel is being given advice by his mother (a woman hahahaha). I took out from it 3 pieces of advice, and I will paraphrase mostly, I found to be important even now in our times;
1. Do not allow drink to destroy you by becoming its slave
2. Do not allow your time and strength to be spent chasing women
3. Always fight for those who cannot fight for themselves
So whilst trying to understand this I realized * blond me * that the proverbs 31 woman is a sister to someone, a daughter to someone else , a Mother to another and a wife to one. Good advice any Mother would give her son as these are the things that bring great men to disrepute.
Was King Lemuels Mother TP31W?– I had been wondering about this woman for months …. Who was she?
– INTIMIDATING-
That is the one word that described her to me for the longest time… I started writing this piece when I was done with my last Songs of Solomon piece but this woman intimidated me so much and had me asking myself who I was to even write about her?!
I was not even half way there as a possible proverbs 31 women yet. I even asked myself if perhaps this is why I am unmarried… I cannot cut it as the woman we were created by God to be… This woman, in my mind, just had a thong over her fabulous corporate suit, TP31W emblazoned across her perfect work shirt ( un-creased , crisp, starched and just perfect), ready at the drop of a dime to don a cape and take flight.
She was simply ,amazing, she cooked, she cleaned, she sewed, knitted, loved, smiled, cleaned up after, had 32 hour days, never tired and never complained , always showered, smelling like expensive perfume and immaculate looking… WHO? WHO? Who can be her?
You can imagine how this put a stop to any writing about her that I was going to do !!!!
I gave her a lot of thought and she wouldn’t leave my mind as I asked myself how God would put this seemingly bionic woman in the bible if she was an unattainable character! Was she to be realized only on paper? Only in King Lemuel’s times? THEN… I came to the realization that but God, you or I cannot be her. Great! It was such a simple truth ( sigh of relief)I thought to myself I can hardly write about this now can I? it is but a paragraph – So I left it lingering and stewing in my mind thinking it was done …I had CRACKED TP31W Code… but had I?
Then I suddenly clicked that there are 4 Keys to being this woman… and you can only get these keys ( Gifts) from God.
The Gift of Love – only God can give you the Gift of Love that endures all , a love that can be patient and kind ( 1 Cor 13:4-9) a love that will not boast or recall wrongs done, doesn’t give up, a love that is always hopeful…This love is what keeps that picture of your husband being respected at the City gates ( 31:23) close to your heart and in your mind long after he has annoyed your whole being but 10 hairs on your head! Long after you have hit him over the head with a Neanderthal club (in your minds eye)
The Gift of Faith- Only God can give you faith – (Romans 3:28) only he can give you the faith you need as a mother and wife, the faith that provision is your portion even when the businesses have failed and all you have to stand on are his words. Faith is what will keep you on your knees long after things are seemingly falling apart in your marriage and your home.
The Gift of Righteousness- knowing that through Grace you are righteous keeps you out of the loom of despair, depression, doubt, fear and guilt . Trying in your own right to be” righteous” and “perfect” and do it all as per the template is what sets you into doubt and all those negative emotions.
Grace is that little thing that we all struggle so hard to understand. WE DO NOT HAVE TO DO TO GET FROM GOD… His love is there regardless of what we do or don’t do it’s hard to grasp that , especially when, like me, you grew up knowing that God was a rewarder of your actions … good action = good reward, bad action= negative reinforcement!!!!
But no… he, in his power and might just helps us to be Righteous because we definitely cannot be in our fallen state.

The Gift of Wisdom- This Gift is the silver bullet. The Gift that lets you realize when you are operating in your other gifts, helps you to pick your battles and say the right things at the right time and just generally be a source for your husband and family to draw from. Sometimes just shutting your mouth is the hardest thing …especially when the “ I told u so” is tickling your tongue, but It can be the wisest thing to do

The proverbs 31 woman cannot exist on her own strength without God she cannot, cannot, CANNOT operate .Without the Holy Spirit and she will not prosper ( physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally) without Jesus

Proverbs 31 is not about works ! its about allowing the gifts to manifest in and through you . she must understand her purpose and calling in relation to her husbands and boom! The code is broken

September 26th 2012
ABE