**Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.** Proverbs 31:25
Strength. Honor. Joy.
Fruit of a life well lived.
Fruit of persistence, diligence and perseverance.
The assurance of a joyful future.
The virtuous woman’s life is challenging. Difficult at times. Heartbreaking even. She faithfully works over the years, day after day, trusting that her efforts are not in vain. Learning from her mistakes.
She wears strength and honor like a royal robe. Not with arrogance but with confidence and surety that she has done the best she could and trusts the rest to God’s grace and mercy.
Strength of spirit, strength of heart. Honor from her family and those who know the price she has paid and what she is truly worth.
Her life is not necessarily perfect. She may have faced great loss. She may yearn for those that have gone before her and are now waiting for her in eternity. Perfection and unceasing happiness in this life was never her goal. She knows that was never promised. So she moves forward with hope and expectation of what will be someday.
The virtuous woman has fought a good fight, she has kept the faith. She has done what she could. Solomon honors her and all women who put their heart, soul, mind and strength into all that they do.
Her joy is wrapped in those she has cared for and what they can be. Her fullness of joy will be in seeing her loved ones and her God face to face in eternity.