I’ll be honest, when I hear a reference to Proverbs 31, I cringe. It’s a glaring reminder of all that I am not. I read it like a laundry list of things I should be doing:
“She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.”
“She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.”
“When she speaks, her words are wise, and she give instructions with kindness.”
It’s an impossible standard. And it’s overwhelming.
But recently, at the dentist, I noticed a picture with the second part of verse 25 highlighted. “She laughs without fear of the future.” Wow.
How do you feel when you think of the future? I’ll be honest, I get anxiety. Where will we live? What will we be doing? Who will my son grow up to be? The questions are endless.
But I want to “laugh without fear of the future.” I want to think about the future and be excited!
The truth is, all of my worries are pointless. God is more than capable of handling them. Not only that, He is also willing to handle them. We are reminded of this in Matthew 6 and in Luke 12 – that God provides for the birds and He clothes the flowers in beauty. And we are much more valuable than they are, so He will provide even more so for us.
I have to remind myself of these things daily. And I will probably always struggle with worry. But I’ve posted that line from Proverbs 31 in my office. “She laughs without fear of the future.” It’s a reminder that we don’t have to fear the future. We can be excited about it! Because we know who holds our future in His hands.