By Hand and Heart

  We find several clues to what guides her heart of wisdom in this passage, but the most important motivation — the one that guides everything she does — is mentioned at the end. We should read the whole chapter — every verb — in light of one verb in verse 30, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but   a woman who fears the Lord   is to be praised” ( Proverbs 31:30 ). This woman fears the Lord. In fact, the verse says  this  is the reason she is to be praised. The Proverbs 31 woman fears the Lord — in other words, she sees the wisdom in wanting to obey what God tells her to do and to honor the Lord with her whole life. And what is “the fear of the Lord” in Proverbs? The beginning of wisdom ( Proverbs 1:7 ,  29 ;  2:5 ;  9:10 ;  15:33 ). It is her heart for honoring the Lord with her life, and thus living with true wisdom, that God wants women to imitate and follow. When you go back and read through all of what she does in light of ve...

  It has been some time since my last post, and I would like to share a reflection on my ongoing creative journey. In pursuing my passion and striving for a deeper understanding of my creative pursuits, I have been reading art and self-development books. This practice has become a quiet yet profound source of enrichment, one for which I am forever grateful. There are times when inner thoughts feel unsettled or incomplete, lacking the clarity or expression they deserve. In those moments, reading has offered me a kind of illumination. Art books, in particular, reveal the ways artists perceive the world and contemplate life. Their words often echo within me, resonating with my own unspoken questions and guiding me toward greater clarity. Gradually, these encounters have shaped not only my understanding but also the way I see and engage with the world. I  find myself at a point in my art journey where I am seeking something deeper than self-expression, self-discovery, or even a ...