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Confessions of a Church Planting Wife (Part 3)

There was a time not too long ago when I wouldn’t even read Proverbs 31 because that woman always made me feel terrible about myself.  I do understand that even she is not perfect.  I mean her beauty is fleeting, right?  She obviously failed to discover the Susan Lucci beauty regimen in all of her working and planning.  But I would read of her days and match them up to my own, only to discover that I really only exhibited one of her qualities really well. . ."She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.” Because you see, if nothing else, I am the queen of carryout and delivery.  No one brings food from afar better than me!!  Whether it is Qdoba, Noodles and Company, Panera or Chili’s, if all I have to do is swipe a card and the food magically appears, I’m in! 

But one day I did sit down seeking to read about this super woman with new eyes and ears.  Did she really have it all together?  No way.  She couldn’t have.

And though I am no theologian, this is what God spoke to my frustrated heart at that very moment. . .he just said, “Amy, all of those qualities - they are possible.  They weren’t written to become a hindrance to you due to frustration at not being able to live up to the model.  You are right. There is absolutely no way you can be this woman on your own efforts.  If so, everyone would be a superwoman!  But if you will just look a little closer, you will find the key to unlocking your potential.” And what happened then?  Just like God always supernaturally does. . .he took my eyes and landed them on 8 little words.  “She gets up while it is still dark (v. 15).”

And if you think I immediately jumped for joy at this discovery you will be sadly disappointed.  Instead, it made me mad!  We’ve already talked before about everything the church planting wife does.  You’ve got to be kidding me!  Now I have to give up my sleep, too????

But a long story made short, I decided to take him at his word and give it a try.  For about 2 weeks, I admit that I could barely function by lunchtime.  But in persistence, I chose to continue.  And just this morning, as I was listening to Charles Stanley on my iPod and writing in my journal, I looked up and saw the sunrise.  I flipped back in my journal and saw that to date I have continued my early mornings much longer than I ever anticipated I could.  And I was prompted to go back to Proverbs 31.  With eyes no longer sleepy, I started reading.  And I was AMAZED!!!!!  Still so far from perfect, I found myself nodding at her qualities, realizing that some of those really are becoming mine. . .realizing that I could never have accomplished them on my own. . .realizing that God was accomplishing them through me only because I was choosing to listen to him and give his way a try. 

Now am I telling you that the only way to move towards becoming more like her (more like Him) is to get up at 5am before the sun rises?  No.  That is the way God chose to prompt me more fully into His direction. But I will say this, if you are feeling frustrated today at the chaos around you and you don’t know how to start becoming more of the woman God intended for you to be. . .5am is not the most ridiculous place to start.

Today, I just encourage you to figure out what God wants you to do so he can have room to accomplish those Proverbs 31 traits in and through you.  The peace and awe that comes is CRAZY!

Sure, I’d love for you to let me know what you are thinking about this, but I also want to know your favorite place to “bring food from afar?”

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posted by Amy Colón
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