The Proverbs 31 Princess and her ghost writer. . .

God never ceases to amaze me.  He places certain people in our lives when He sees it will be good and profitable for His sake.  A few months ago, I was invited to mom's night in with three other beautiful women.  I knew two of the three, and by the end of the night, I had definitely made a new friend.  

Jenny is one-half of Flourish, a ministry to women, dedicated to seeing them "flourish" in their knowledge of God's Word.  I'm always in awe of women who have the courage to put themselves out there and pour themselves out.  Jenny is no exception.  We spoke about writing, encouraging, ministry and homeschooling and I counted it joy to get to know her.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran into Jenny at an event and she mentioned to me about possibly being a guest writer for her ministry.  The excitement never left me and I began to pray about what God would have me share, whenever that may be.

Well, this week, I had the honor and privilege of writing the devotional for Flourish. What God gave me was an incredibly powerful message to share about the Proverbs 31 Woman, clothed in regal gowns. I additionally have the opportunity to expand upon the teaching later this week.  I am grateful for the edits Jenny and Mindy made to my submission and, again, humbled to actually be asked to write in the first place!

As a woman who loves words, words, themselves, cannot express the joy I have in sharing what I believe is God's heart for His daughters.  It's why I blog.  It's why I believe in the material God gave me to write in my book (which is still a work-in-progress!)  Perhaps this is just the nudge I need to hunker down and get that project done.  Ghost-writing isn't necessarily my thing, but I guess, if God allows me to write a message that will touch the hearts of His people, I am glad to be the typing fingers that sends gets it out.

In the meantime, I'd love to share with you the message of "The Proverbs 31 Princess."  Please be sure to check out Jenny's ministry, which she leads with her friend, Mindy, at Flourish. Sign up for their weekly devotionals and their upcoming Proverbs study! You can join them on Facebook here and stay encouraged all week long! 

And, without further ado:

No matter where we are in our walk with God, many of us struggle with our identities. Although we have called on Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we still struggle with who we are in Christ. We know we have become a part of God's family, saved by grace, given mercy, and forgiven of our sins. Yet, for many of us, we still don't know what that means in light of the person we see in the mirror.

There are two truths I believe God wants you to take hold of today.

You are a princess in the Kingdom of God.

You may have heard this popular inspirational quote, "I am the daughter of a King who is not moved by the world for my God is with me and goes before me. I do not fear because I am His." We love the truths expressed here, especially when we are trying to lift each other up during times of trial. However, this is not just a "feel-good" meme for us to post on social media and the walls of our homes, but a truth that God wants us to take hold of deep in our spirits.

While there are many Scriptures that represent the truth of this quote, I'd like for you to consider one of my favorites, Psalm 45. While it describes the royal court, the writer directly speaks of God on his eternal throne (Psalm 45:6). Additionally, scholars attribute the Psalm as describing Christ's relationship to the Church which is described as the Bride of Christ. Verses 10 and 11 in the New Living Translation state:

"Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your family far away.

For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord."

(click on image to download printable scripture card)

Did you catch that? We are "royal daughters" in the Kingdom of God. He delights in our beauty! Dear friend, did you know that it's not just the beauty that can be seen with the eyes that makes our Heavenly Father rejoice over us? It is our inner beauty that brings Him such joy! In 1 Samuel 16:7, God says that He "doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

This brings me to the next truth I'd like to share with you:

You are the embodiment of the Proverbs 31 woman.

For many of us, including myself, we read about the Proverbs 31 woman and immediately disassociate ourselves from her. She is described as a "wife of noble character" (v. 10) whose "children stand and bless her" (v.28), and most of the time we hardly feel we fit that description. Consider with me, however, that no matter what season of life you are in, you are a combination of the two truths I have set before you:

You are a Proverbs 31 Princess

You may be asking how in the world I have come to this conclusion. In our culture of film and various media, we are bombarded with images of those with whom we would gladly exchange places. We oftentimes identify with one of the characters we've seen portrayed in Disney films, famous for their female heroines portrayed in stories of adventure and romance. Perhaps you are like one of these fictional princesses:

• The wayward daughter who longed to be someone other than who she was and be part of someone else's world.
• The daughter who was stripped of her wealth and status, demoted to scullery maid, desiring nothing more than to be valued and cherished as she had been in the past.
• The beauty who willingly risked it all to save the only family she had left and subjected herself to the "savage beast."
• The independent, strong-willed princess who longed for a destiny other than her own and was beguiled by the ways of her culture while she tried to change her fate.
• The princess who was hidden and raised as a peasant girl until the day she learned of her true heritage, yet still fell to victim the very circumstances from which she was originally protected.

I do not have to name them for you to identify with them. All of them have experienced some kind of ordeal. And, all of them had to reach down inside themselves to find their inner strength.

Let's view the five young women I have mentioned in light of Proverbs 31.

• Each one, in the midst of her trial, desired to be someone she was not; yet, she found that her circumstances formed a strength of character which was "more precious than rubies," regardless of her station in life. (v.11)
• Each suffered some kind of hardship, but persevered as she found she was "clothed with strength and dignity." (v. 25)
• Each had to deal with darkness in the heart of those who oppressed her, yet she brought "good, not harm" to those around her and found a way to "extend a helping hand" and "open her arms" to those in need (vv. 10, 20).
• While young in age, each girl dug deep within herself to speak "wise words with "kindness." (v.26)
• These girls were “energetic, strong, and hard" working regardless of their position. (v.17)

The difference between these fictional princesses and you and me is that we truly are daughters of the most High King. Each one of us possess what we need to be the woman described in Proverbs 31. You don't have to be married and have children to fit her description. We all endure hardship and possess strength, dignity and integrity, serve others with kindness, energy, strength and hard work. We each have been given the Spirit of God, which enables us to live out these qualities in everyday life. Romans 11:9 tells us "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.”

So, rejoice, dear sister! You are not just an ordinary woman going through the throes of life, destined to stay where you are. You are the jewel in your Father's crown! You are a Princess who is every bit the Proverbs 31 Woman.

As the Scripture says, "There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but YOU surpass them all!” Proverbs 31:29

Michelle Flaugh is a fourth-generation Russian Jew who became a believer in Messiah at the age of 25. While she grew up in Plano, Texas and has lived in numerous places, she calls Florence, Kentucky home. She is wife to Rob, momma to Kyra, and (step)mom to Cody and Amber. In addition to being a wife and mother, she homeschools Kyra and serves with several ministries. Her deepest passion is to share the heart of God with others so they can embrace their identity in Christ and learn to walk in the calling and purpose God has on their lives. She currently blogs, as the Lord leads, at Armsofgracejourney.blogspot.com.