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I recently read the story of a husband who came home to find the house a mess. His wife was on the bed, reading and eating bonbons.

Her husband asked her what was wrong, if everything was all right. She answered, “You know how everyday when you come home from work, you ask me what I did that day? Well, today I didn’t!”

As we look at the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, we see that the running of the home really depends upon her hard work, vision, wisdom, and loving care.

It’s an important job and we need God’s strength and the power and filling of His Holy Spirit in order to accomplish it.

My friend read this chapter of Proverbs shortly after coming to Christ. She was so afraid that her husband would find it and expect this of her that she tore it out of her Bible! Remember, girls, we are a work in progress. Don’t get discouraged!

There are four “D” words that we can look at to describe our virtuous woman:

• She’s a dependable mother.
• She’s a diligent businesswoman.
• She’s discrete.
• She’s a devoted friend.

Before I had children, I said that I would have kids who were always well-behaved. I imagined sitting at the table and giving them the “look,” certain they would straighten up.

But then, I actually had children—three boys, who my friend said were like anyone else’s six!

I decided to text the boys one day and ask them what I done right as a mother and what I had done wrong.

The oldest, Marcus, sent his reply immediately. “Should we start with the wrong because I don’t think we have time to make it to the right?” I thought, “Oh dear.”

The youngest answered shortly after that: “As to the right, Mom, we were the most important things in the world. In regards to the wrong, you let dad beat us. Just kidding! Love you.”

The middle one, Mike, took a week and a half to answer, but he was always was the last one to get in the car when we went anywhere, so I wasn’t surprised. “Right,” he texted. “You gave us unconditional love and you gave us the Lord.”

He’s too sweet to tell me what I did wrong. Besides, he has five kids of his own and knows that his answers could come back to haunt him!

Raising children is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and I certainly wasn’t perfect in raising mine.

It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child, but I think it takes the body of Christ to raise a child. We are the ones needed to raise them, spend time with them, and be available to them.

It’s also the influence of other Christians that make such a difference in a child’s life, whether they are Sunday school teachers, godly schoolteachers, grandmothers, aunts, or friends.

Some of you may be single, without any children, yet you can be a great help to young mothers. Some of you are single parents (50% of American households are single parent households) or have a husband who is uninvolved. God knows you carry the burden of parenting and life is not a perfect package.

But you can know this; God honors those who raise their children biblically and He will bless you.