"A Mothers' Day Job Posting"

 

Proverbs 31:10-31

May 10, 2026

Mothers’ Day

 

¹⁰A capable wife who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

¹²She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

¹³She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

¹⁴She is like the ships of the merchant,

she brings her food from far away.

¹⁵She rises while it is still night

and provides food for her household

and tasks for her servant-girls.

¹⁶She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷She girds herself with strength,

and makes her arms strong.

¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

Her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰She opens her hand to the poor,

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

²¹She is not afraid for her household when it snows,

for all her household are clothed in crimson.

²²She makes herself coverings;

her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³Her husband is known in the city gates,

taking his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them;

she supplies the merchant with sashes.

²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household,

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her happy;

her husband too, and he praises her:

²⁹‘Many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all.’

³⁰Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the city gates.

 

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                College friends of mine formed a band back in the day and tried to produce an introductory tape, as one did then, with an original song in just about every category of music.  There was a punk song, a reggae song, some techno, some heavy metal, a breakup song, and random dance music.  But when I read or hear this section of Proverbs, I think of the country song they came up with.  It was called, “I Need a Southern Fried Woman in This Shake and Bake World”.

            The book of Proverbs is a collection of advice for living, apparently drawn from several sources.  The final section is identified as words spoken to someone named King Lemuel (whom we don’t hear about anywhere else) by his mother. After telling him to avoid womanizing and getting drunk, she tells him to find a wife who fits her criteria, which are demanding.  It’s assumed that she has serving-girls to help her, but managing them is one of the many expectations laid on her.

            She is supposed to provide food, both from the market and from a garden that she should find, buy, and plant.  Part of that is supposed to be a vineyard.  Beyond subsistence, there should be enough produce to sell some off at a profit.  She should stay up late and get up early, always spinning thread to make cloth and clothing for the household and become yet another income stream.    

            This is not the “little lady” who stays home and arranges flowers all day.  This woman is managing her own business as well as the household while her husband is off somewhere else looking impressive in the suit she tailored for him.

            She must be wise, kind, and generous, and teach those virtues to the children.  To draw things together, she should have a healthy spiritual life.  Not everybody will win a beauty contest, but that is the least of it.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

[Proverbs 31:30]

Honestly, I get exhausted just reading this list. The job description doesn’t mention her cooking, either.  I guess the meals and the cleaning and taking care of sick children and feeding animals and so forth falls to the servants.  She can only do so much, after all.

That, I believe, is the point of this text.  The superwoman is an ideal, probably; sure, we all know women whose energy and breadth of skills are astounding, but it points out how much is expected of the average, ordinary woman and reminds the husband and the family not to take any of that for granted.  Give her the credit she deserves.

“Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the city gates.” [Proverbs 31:31]

            There’s a story (totally unsubstantiated and probably not true) about how one day Winston and Clementine Churchill were crossing the street in London when a streetsweeper recognized her and called her name.  They talked to each other for awhile, then she took Churchill’s arm and they walked on.  She explained that she had known him when they were a lot younger and he had had a serious crush on her.  Winston laughed and said something about how she might have been a streetsweeper’s wife.  She laughed, too, and said, “No, by now he would have become Prime Minister.”

            This passage throws into confusion the whole notion of a “trad wife”.  I cannot imagine this woman quietly and meekly going along with whatever she is told to do without comment.  I cannot imagine her, living in our day, submitting her judgment entirely to her husband.  If he’s smart, he’ll listen to her.

“The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.” [Proverbs 31:11-12]

            The danger of Mothers’ Day is that it can sometimes sentimentalize the effort that goes into family life.  The beauty of Mothers’ Day is that it recognizes the grace of God inherent in relationships of caring, even when they come under great strain.  All the tasks that are listed in Proverbs and all the many others that are parallel to them – jobs like forcing the kids (if necessary) to go to Sunday School; making them eat their vegetables or not eat the M&Ms; driving them all over the place; saying, “No,” sometimes even when every other parent (supposedly) says, “Yes” – are part of the work that goes not only unrecognized but also can be resented until the kids get over it and maybe eventually hear the same words come out of their own mouths.  Those moments surely also deserve recognition.  Again, this job description says,

“She girds herself with strength,

and makes her arms strong” [Proverbs 31:17]

 

which takes a lot of forms. 

            So for all aspects of the calling, and for all who assist in the work, and for all the women who have done or are doing their best,

“Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the city gates.”

A shout-out online doesn’t hurt either, and a word of appreciation even when it isn’t Mothers’ Day, just because.