Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 31:17, She Makes Her Arms Strong

by Marilynn Chadwick

“She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.”

Proverbs 31:17 ESV

The two Hebrew words describing the Proverbs 31 woman, eshet chayil, are translated “woman of valor” (Proverbs 31:10 OJB). From the beginning, God created the woman to be part nurturer and part warrior.

Valor means showing courage in the face of danger. So naturally, valor requires a measure of mental toughness. But the Proverbs 31 woman of valor also had to be physically strong: she “works with eager hands…gets up while it is still dark,” provides food and tasks for her family and servants, “buys a field… plants a vineyard”… and “sets about her work vigorously” (Proverbs 31:13-16). Even her arms, we’re told, “are strong for her tasks” (Proverbs 31:17 NIV). Another version reads: “She makes her arms strong” (Proverbs 31:17 ESV).

I have to smile when I think about her “strong arms” because it reminds me of my friend Beth. We both loved being mothers and now grandmothers. But we agree—when raising our own children, we were used to the constant physical demands that came with lifting, dressing, and bathing little ones. Our arms grew strong. But lifting grandchildren is a little harder.

So Beth started doing 100 pushups a day. “I want to be able to lift all those grandbabies,” she laughed. She does her first set during her normal exercise time—then she drops to the floor for a few more throughout the day. “It’s amazing how they add up,” she said. Beth—and her 100 daily pushups—give us a good mental picture of what it looks like to make our arms strong.

The Amplified Bible describes the Proverbs 31 woman’s strength in more detail: “She equips herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong” (Proverbs 31:17 AMP).

Why not begin now to reflect on how to strengthen yourself—spiritually, mentally, and physically? Who knows? Maybe you’ll even want to try Beth’s 100 push-ups challenge!

Today’s Moment of Hope is adapted from Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You by Marilynn Chadwick.

Click here to order your copy today!

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 22:6, Grow Your Child with the Grain

by Marilynn Chadwick

“Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 AMPC

Education should be a delight, not drudgery. It’s the same with spiritual training. Children learn differently. Research has shown that some of what were previously thought to be learning disabilities are often just different ways of processing information. The Lord of the Universe seems never to tire of creating unique humans. At birth, every person is “wired” differently from the nearly eight billion people on the planet—and from every other person who has ever lived! Astounding, isn’t it?

So as parents, it makes sense that in addition to discovering our child’s unique beauty, we should experiment to see how they best learn. What makes them tick. The kindest way to raise our children is “in keeping with their gift or bent” (Proverbs 22:6 AMPC). Our best clues come simply from watching what they naturally love to do.

Our three now-grown children were all very different. Bethany was multitalented and loved to learn. She played volleyball and basketball, but she was also passionate about languages. In third grade, she chose to attend a French Immersion magnet school where English wasn’t even spoken. She learned everything from grammar to long division in French. It’s easy to see why she now loves educating her children at home.

David, our older son, was shooting wads of trash through lampshades at age two. It’s no surprise basketball grabbed his heart at an early age. Basketball scholarships paid for both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in college. We’ve watched basketball, along with his good math mind and strategic business acumen, open up doors to his career path in the sports world.

Our youngest, Michael, was talented in a variety of sports but gravitated to swimming. He carved his own unique trail as a standout collegiate swimmer and eventually a professional swimmer and world record holder. Our determined Michael used to say, “Swimming found me!” His athletic gifts and work ethic, combined with his high “EQ,” or emotional intelligence, have made him an effective leader who now expresses his gifts through a ministry calling.

David and I tried to “grow” our three children “with their grain.” By God’s grace, as they’ve gotten older, they’ve not left the foundation of that training. More importantly, they’ve held tightly to their faith in Jesus.

Today’s Moment of Hope is adapted from Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You by Marilynn Chadwick.

Click here to order your copy today!

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 31:10, Part Nurturer, Part Warrior

by Marilynn Chadwick

“Who can find a woman of valor?”

Proverbs 31:10a OJB

A woman of valor is a warrior at heart. She fights for her faith, her family, and her community. But sometimes, her toughest battles are for her God-given dreams. I wonder if some wars are harder than others because the enemy knows the stakes are so high.

I think back to our long years of infertility and my fierce fight to have a baby. I couldn’t have known it at the time, but I was waging a battle not just for our firstborn daughter, but also for our next baby, a son. Then another son. And now, twelve grandchildren and counting.

Our daughter once said something to me which made me pause: “Mama, you didn’t know when you were going through all those years of infertility that you were also fighting for all these little people to be born,” pointing to our grandchildren.

Perhaps my fight was so fierce because the enemy wanted what I had—the promise of children and grandchildren who would glorify God. And ultimately, generations beyond those.

But I had something else the enemy wanted. And so do you. He wanted to steal my testimony. He wanted to make it impossible for me to tell the miraculous story of God’s healing that enabled me to have those babies. He wanted to rob me of the chance to encourage others who are waiting for answers to their own prayers.

Quite simply, the devil wants to steal the story God is weaving through your dream. Or through this trial you're enduring so bravely. He wants to steal your testimony. In the end, he wants to steal God's glory.

Dear friend, don’t give up. God is faithful. One day you will have a story to tell. A story that will cause others to yearn to know this wonderful God Who is the Giver of Dreams.

Today’s Moment of Hope is adapted from Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You by Marilynn Chadwick. Click here to order your copy today!