Confidence & Trust

Proverbs 31:11 "Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life."

I won't lie...when I first read this scripture, I was like, "Okay what am I to get out of this exactly?" Now, after doing lots of research, I see there is LOTS I can get out of this scripture....I may need to break this down into many different posts so you can get the full extent of it as well.

The virtue you are to posess in this scripture is Faithfulness. What this scripture is saying is when a man has full confidence in his wife he isn't lacking anything of value. As a wife if you can be solid emotionally and spiritually, then there is no doubt that your husband/spouse can rest on you for steady support, always. In the workbook I am using, The Proverbs 31 Woman: One Virtue at a Time, it gives 7 areas in which your husband/spouse should be able to trust you with:

1. Money--do you spend your money wisely?
2. Children--are you able to be trusted raising kids wisely?
3. Home--Are you able to run an orderly home?
4. Reputation--can your husband trust you to not speak poorly of him behind his back?
5. Faithfulness--can your husband trust you to not build emotional connections with other men?
6. Emotions--can you control yourself when under pressure?
7. Choices--can you be trusted to make wise choices when urgent situations arise?

There is a lot I want to say regarding these 7 key areas to earning your husband's trust, but that will take a whole nother blog post (tomorrow night). These 7 things should come easily to all women, I believe. But it takes work, and if you look at it in a positive light, you are doing work to glorify God in your marriage/relationship, then it's all worth it. You are becoming a Proverbs 31 woman! 

The bottom line of this scripture is that your husband/significant other should know that you are a safe and secure place for him to go to at the end of the day, where he can let down his walls, express his fears and failures, express his dreams and worries, and lay down his burdens and desires. Ask your husband if he is secure in letting his walls down and laying it all out there? He should not have to think twice before expressing himself to you, it should be an open and judgment free environment for both of you. If he has to sugarcoat what he says or be careful about what he shares, that's not a trusting or safe place for him and it's not fair to him. He deserves the best, and he chose you, so honor that decision by giving him that safe and secure environment that this scripture is pointing to. 

I may not be married, I may be a single woman, but I will still work towards posessing these qualities every day. I want my future spouse to be able to know without a doubt that he can trust me in every way, shape, and form. I want to be that safe place for him to go to at the end of the day. I want him to never hesitate to be open to me about his fears/failures/hopes/dreams/burdens. I want to hear it all. I want him to know that the words I speak about him, behind his back, are only ever praises. I want him to know that I am not only faithful to him but faithful to God as well. But the best way to truly prove this to a spouse is through our actions. None of us are perfect, we don't always make the best choices in life (I'll even admit to that!) but we need to strive to be that Proverbs 31 woman for our spouse. So now you need to ask yourself (and I am doing the same), "What areas can I change in my own life so that I can gain this character quality?" Commit to it. Pray about it. And put it into action.

Love Always,

Stefanie :)