Proverbs 31: Can Women Really Have It All At The Same Time?

A few weeks ago, I met with a group of ladies for a civic dinner. A civic dinner is a group of people coming together to have meaningful conversations over a meal. Our overarching topic was entitled, "The Voice of Women." This group was comprised of women that are business owners or in very high ranking positions in their fields. We came together to discuss various issues that plague women today.

One of the women in the group posed the question, “Can women really have it all?” Can we have a husband, be ambitious, have goals, launch businesses, care for the home, and take care of the children and ourselves all at the same time? There were various opinions as we went around the room to hear the thoughts of each woman on the subject.

Then someone mentioned both the husband and wife cannot be goal-oriented and ambitious- that someone has to take the back seat, before she finally settled on, “Maybe we can have it all like Oprah, but you would need a husband like Stedman.” We laughed and continued with dessert and the next topic.

After giving my pleasantries, I headed home. The question about having it all was still plaguing me, especially after I thought about one of the most powerful women in America right now - Michelle Obama and her journey of ‘Becoming.’ I prayed and asked the question, “God, can we as wives do what you’ve placed in our hearts, and serve You, our husbands and our families, the church, and our communities?” Can we really do it all at the same time without feeling like we are just ready to throw in the towel and quit - usually our husbands? Do we really have to put what you’ve placed in our hearts on hold to support our husband’s dreams and careers or until the children are grown? The answer did not come right away, but I was awakened around 3:00 a.m. with Proverbs 31 in my spirit.

Charm is deceitful and beauty fades, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised"

I thought to myself, this is a woman with outstanding abilities and excellent character. Again, I asked God what was He trying to reveal to me by waking me up at 3:00 am to read this after my question, “Can Women Really Have It All at the Same Time?” She is the complete model of womanhood and an affirmative answer of “yes,” we really can have it all at the same time. Although, every woman will not be like her because the first verse tells us that she is rare. However, we can learn from her hard work, respect for her husband, how she cares for household and others, her concern for the poor, her wisdom in finances, great decision-making, resourcefulness, entrepreneurship, and a good steward. Although she has many accomplishments, her attractiveness and beauty come from her character and her fear of the Lord. We can use her as a model and continue to strive to be a woman of virtue - A woman who really can have it all at the same time.