Proverbs 31 Challenge, Day 10

(25) Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come.

Have you ever seen or known somebody who just LOVES to deck out, everyday, just to show off how well off they are, or to get attention? They are so vain, that they care only about how they look, and they spend more time each day getting themselves ready, adorning themselves with jewelry, then they do focusing on their inner health.

When it says that Strength and Dignity are her clothing, it means that she puts her spiritual clothing first. In other words, she cares more about her walk with the Lord than she does about her external appearance. 

Now don't think that I mean that she doesn't care at all about how she dresses/looks on the outside. Rather, she focuses on her inner beauty, and dresses herself to reflect it. I think that this is a core issue, especially with us teens, and one that I'll get into better detail with in later verses.

But for now, just understand that you should be more worried about your inner health. Namely, that you should dress yourself with dignity and honor.

As for the second part, when it says she laughs at the time to come, I think that it has to do with the fact that she isn't afraid of the future, because she knows that it's in God's hands. She trusts God to provide for her, and to be with her, no matter what happens.

Matthew 6:25:
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?... (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
  
These verses say it clearly. To put it frankly: Stop. Freaking. Out. Over. Silly. Things! We get so caught up with tiny little things "What will I do tomorrow? What color should we paint the bathroom? What time will I be home? What should I wear? Does my hair look alright? What if the kids get cranky? Should I go out for lunch and ruin my diet, or stick to it? What, Should I, who, when, how, blah!" We forget about what's really important. We start putting our tiny little needs first, and don't realize that we're missing the big picture: God.


To sum it all up, stop putting your external appearance before your inner beauty. Rather, make your inner beauty your main goal, and make the way you dress and look reflect that. Also, don't get caught up so much in the little details, that you completely miss the whole point. Namely, that God is with us and nothing is too big for him to deal with.