Clothed in Strength: Proverbs 31:25 Part 2

“She is clothed in Strength”…Clothed…

The first thing that came to mind when meditating on this passage was the idea of clothing or being clothed. We each own many articles of clothing, and when we don them, they become a part of us for the day. However, the clothing, the material, the stitching, comes from somewhere else, somewhere outside of ourselves. Our clothing is ours, but it does not come from us. Such as it is with the woman in our passage. The strength is hers but it does not come from her. Our strength is awe-inspiring, unique, something to take pride in and ownership of, but ultimately we must never forget that our strength comes from the Lord. It is a gift that her generously bestows on each one of us. We can do nothing to lose or become unworthy of this gift, but also, we can do nothing to earn more or become more worthy of it. The only thing God asks of us when he bestows this gift is to be aware of our courageous strength and not shy aware from showing it. Have faith that he has given it to you for a reason and be joyful in the knowledge that your heavenly Father has the utmost faith in you and your tremendous strength.

For us women, it is so much easier to see our weakness than our strengths. But I think we need to shift our mindset slightly. The most powerful and intense aspects of our strength become evident through our weaknesses. It is in the miserable dark valleys of our life that the most brilliant and dazzling aspects of our resilience, faith, and courage become evident. Jesus may have fallen three times on the road to Calvary, but he got up four, and that is what matters. Its cheesy but true, even for our Savior, it is not about how many times we fall but about how many times we get back up.

In her poem, “If I should have a daughter”, Sarah Kay aptly puts it, “This life will hit you hard, in the face, wait for you to get back up so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.”

Women, life may, no it will, hit you hard, but He has graced you with a strength that you cannot deserve and yet should take complete ownership of. He asks you to use your strength when life hits you in the stomach and put your trust in Him. You are beautifully and wonderfully made, blessed with a strength that is yours but does not come from you.

Jen is a junior engineering student from NY, amazing chef/baker, queen of hospitality, and guest writer. Although she does not live in household, she remains active in our Catholic community on campus and is a favorite house guest. This excerpt comes from her testimony at Women's Night is an a continuation of of our Provers 31:25 series. Check out part 1 here