Strength and Honor

Strength and honor are her clothing.

Proverbs 31:25 

What I am about to write has been on my heart for a while now, being a single woman, it is frustrating sometimes to live in a world in which the normal can be so far away from God's design.

I am a firm believer that God made us man and woman for a reason. We each have different roles in life, but society these days is trying to erase that line.
Woman are pressured to be strong. "Anything a man can do I can do." seems to be the mantra of this age.
Growing up in and now living in a house full of boys, and being the competitive person that I am, I must admit that it does give me a sense of satisfaction when I am able to "one up" one of my brothers (or any other guy for that matter). In our family, we the girls were taught to be strong, and are applauded for our show of strength in any sport or competition, especially when we beat the boys.
Tough, maybe is the word I am looking for. We were taught to be tough. To do our best in everything that we try, and to not shy away from those things that are hard.
But at the same time, we were taught to be clothed in honor. Gals, God created us as women for a purpose, and He gave men the strength, and natural ability to take care of us. But we are taking that God given gift away from ourselves by thinking that we need to be all. We can don't need a man to take care of us, or treat us honorably.
The other day, while Ker and I were driving with my brothers, we saw a young woman mowing the lawn. One of my brothers said casually, "Where are all the guys? She shouldn't have to be doing that job!". It was such a sweet comment, he wasn't trying to say that she couldn't do the job, or that she shouldn't do the job, but that she should be treated with more honor and not have to get dirty when there are guys out there that could have done it for her. Sadly, Ker and I had to tell him that he had to be careful about saying that just to anyone because some women would find that comment offensive, because they feel like they don't need to be cherished anymore. They don't want to be treated like the gift that they are.
Chivalry is becoming more and more rare, and the women are partly to blame for that.

The decline can also be seen in relationships. Remember those Prince and Princess dreams? What has happened to those kinds of relationships? What has happened to the pursuit? A man working to claim the affections of a woman he likes, then fighting for the heart of the one he loves? Does this have to be only a fairy tale?
I watched a video on YouTube the other day about a man who worked for years to win the heart of his girl. It gave me hope that there are men out there who are willing to treat a woman as if they are a treasure instead of something to be used.

I'm not saying that all women should be treated like china dolls, or that women should expect to be pampered all the time. Read the rest of Proverbs 31 and you will see a woman who is not afraid to complete any task that she sees before her.
But if a guy wants to open a door for a woman, let him. Ladies, allow yourself to be pursued.  Don't be afraid to appreciate a man's strength and leadership. Allow him to treat you like a woman who's price is far above rubies. Because you are, you are worth it.