若希的慶生會真令人難忘。美味的佳餚，歡樂的氣氛，她的第一個孫兒的出現更是錦上添花。但這些美好的事物，相較於她兩個兒子對她的感謝和讚美，卻顯得遜色不少。儘管若希與丈夫離異，但她是一個成功的單親媽媽，給她的兒子們帶來很大的影響。他們對若希的讚揚，反映出若希如何竭盡所能地提供他們的需要。她小兒子所說的一句話，是對若希最佳的描繪：「她是一個敬畏上帝的婦女。」

從箴言31章10-31節，我們可以看到，敬畏上帝的婦女如何智慧地經營自己的家庭。這個婦女敬畏耶和華（30節），就是謙卑地尊崇上帝，使她成為值得信賴的人（11-12節），並且勤奮節儉（13-19節）。此外，這位智慧的婦人雖以家庭為優先（21-28節），但並不表示她只顧自己的家，她也同樣關心那些困苦貧窮的人（20節）。

正如若希一樣，敬畏上帝的婦女在生活中的表現不會被忽視，尤其是那些與她們同住的人（28節）。她們身邊的人會開口讚美她們，這並不令人意外。你也想要成為一個敬畏上帝的基督徒嗎？何不向上帝祈求幫助？你的祈禱會得蒙應允，但有時，祂會用各種挑戰和試煉來回應你的祈禱，這點你無需感到意外。

Rosie’s birthday celebration was unforgettable. The food was tasty, the table banter was fun, and the presence of her first grandson was icing on the cake! These good things, however, paled in view of her two sons’ tributes to her. Though Rosie’s marriage didn’t last, her exceptional skills as a single mom marked her sons. Their accolades reflected how she did everything possible to provide for their needs. The younger son’s comment best captured Rosie’s posture before them: “She is a God-fearing woman.”

In Proverbs 31:10-31 readers get to see what fear-informed wisdom looks like in the home. The fear of the Lord (v. 30), which is a humble reverence for God, compels one to be trustworthy (vv. 11-12) and hardworking and thrifty (vv. 13-19). And, while the wise woman possesses a “home first” attitude (vv. 21-28), that doesn’t mean “home only.” Meeting the needs of outsiders also gets attention (v. 20).

As with Rosie, the lifestyles of God-fearing women don’t go unnoticed—especially among those who live with them (v. 28). It’s not surprising when those closest to them sing their praises. Want to be a God-fearing follower of Jesus? Why not ask God for His help? And don’t be surprised when those prayers are answered—even in challenging circumstances.