"Who can find a virtuous woman?

for her price is far above rubies." (KJV)

~ proverbs 31:10

we've all read this passage or heard it before....but let's really LOOK at it.  the wonderful thing about God's word is that when you really search it, and study it, and explore it....it means so. much. more.   i think you will be surprised to examine this statement on a deeper level.  so let's go....

first, think about the word "virtuous."  what do you think it means to be a virtuous woman?  before studying this word, i would have told you that to be a virtuous woman meant that you were morally just, that you were faithful and true to your word.   thefreedictionary.com defines virtuous as "moral excellence; upright; chaste (morally pure)."  so, i guess my internal definition wasn't too far off, and more than likely you had a similar thought in your head when first reading that scripture.  but when we look at the hebrew root of the word virtuous, we see that it comes from the word chayil, which means "efficiency, strength, ability."   and when looking at the greek root of the word virtuous, we find it means, "able and content, through the idea of humbly seeking God through prayer."  (we are going to use the greek translation for our study because it's so simple.)

so when a man finds a virtuous woman, he has found a woman who has the strength and ability to BE A WOMAN!  yes, being a woman is complex and complicated, and being a wife or mommy is very time consuming and requires a great commitment and devotion....but we are all capable of being exactly what that man needs by seeking God first and therefore becoming content and able! 


before we look at ways to be "able and content" in our roles as women, let's finish looking at the rest of the scripture.  a woman is worth far more than rubies.  in today's times that might not sound like much. seriously, no one is wearing big bright rubies on their fingers....they're wearing DIAMONDS.  diamonds are a girl's best friend.  a diamond is forever.  it's the rock, the bling, the frosting.   we're probably all thinking, "what's the big deal about rubies?  DIAMONDS are where it's at!"  but think again ladies..... {you know, God's word never lies}

this photo shows an 8.62 carat ruby ring sold at Christie's auction in 2006 for over

$3.6 million dollars. (click the photos to see the detailed sale listings)

and this photo shows a 17.65 carat diamond ring sold in 2009 at Christie's auction house for only $967,167.  did you catch that?  this diamond is more than TWICE as large as the ruby and sold for less than ONE-THIRD the price!  do you see how valuable you are yet???  you're worth FAR MORE than rubies!  rubies were a symbol of royalty in biblical times; all the kings had rubies placed in their crowns.   true rubies are very rare.  that is why you don't see them on every gal's finger like you do diamonds.    and that is why God's word compares your worth to RUBIES, not diamonds.

 {man, that diamond is pretty}

okay, FOCUS ladies.....get your EYES off that diamond {i know it's hard to stop staring at that beauty} and let's get back to seeing YOUR worth!  which, if you remember, is SO MUCH MORE than that diamond anyway. 

if we are ABLE and CONTENT with being a woman, being a wife, being a mom...then we are valuable.  far more than rubies.  get it?   you don't have to be perfect.  you don't have to take your kids to every karate class, soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis tryouts in town, piano lessons, voice lessons, and dance/gymnastics/whateverelseyouthinktheyneedbuttheyreallydontclass!  those things don't make you virtuous.  wearing that prada handbag isn't making you virtuous (and neither is your discount store bag btw).  piling your hair up high on your head or wearing that extra long streak of eyeliner isn't making you virtuous. {but i'm not dissing your style, sister.  wear it proud!  be who you are!}  just realize that all those things aren't making you YOU.  God already made you who you need to be....all this other stuff is just fluff.  {and we have a right to fluff.  we like fluff.  i'm not advocating getting rid of your fluff.}  just realize that all we do to SHOW our selves to the world is really not SHOWING our virtuousness at all.  to be virtuous, all we have to do is be ABLE to do our duties and to be CONTENT with them.


next week we will take a look at what it means to be able and to be content in our roles as wife and mommy.  but for now, just recognize your worth.  walk with your head held high this week as you perform your motherly and wifely duties, recognizing the esteem you hold in your womanly position.   because even though every ruby has a price on it, no matter how high...you, my sister, are truly priceless.