Women of Integrity

Proverbs 31:25-31; "Strength and honor are her clothing;

She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates. (NKJ)

I sincerely believe that our world is crying out for women that will possess strong character and impeccable integrity. Oh, I completely understand that there is no such person as a perfect human being. I fully realize that each of us possess our own unique set of flaws, weaknesses, inabilities, failures, and sins. We were all in need of redemption. Jesus Christ gave us the opportunity to not only be just an improved or updated version of our self but through Christ we can become that new person through the process of regeneration. Praise God for His wonderful grace and mercy.

I was blessed to be able to be raised in a home with a mother who was and still is a woman of integrity. I have been blessed to marry a woman who became the mother of our sons who is a woman of integrity. I have been blessed to have two daughter-in-laws who are women of strong character and integrity. I am privileged to have an "adopted" (not in legal terms but in terms of endearment) daughter that is also a woman of character and integrity. I am blessed with sisters and sister-in-laws whom I consider to be women of integrity. I have also been privileged to serve as Pastor of many women of integrity and character throughout my 42 plus years of Ministry. 

I have taken your time to share this list with you for a purpose. The media outlets of our society always reveal the story of the people who fail and the people who create havoc in their lives as well as the lives of their family. I wanted to go on record and say that there are many wonderful, compassionate, faithful (to God as well as family) women who traverse the road of life with great character and integrity. I believe that it is time that we stood to our feet and applauded these women for their positive impact in society. 

Could I ask you to take some time to "applaud and honor" those women of integrity that God has placed in your life? We need to take time to identify the stories of success and not just bemoan the stories of the failures.