What if everything we've been told about the "ideal woman" is wrong?

The internet wants us to choose: trad wife or girl boss. Stay home or work. Apron or briefcase. But the women celebrated in ancient scripture? They didn't fit into either box.

After seeing numerous women online preach their lifestyle in the name of Proverbs 31, I spent months studying the text myself, convinced I'd find ammunition for one side of today's culture wars. I thought I would be somewhat disheartened since my current situation doesn’t match the narrative I thought it would preach. Instead, I discovered something that blew both the trad wife and girl boss narratives apart. The woman described in Proverbs 31 isn't choosing between domesticity and ambition. She's doing both - and neither side of our modern debate wants to admit it. 

Here's what shocked me most: Proverbs 31 was never meant to be a divine prescription for how women should be. It was a celebration of how women were. Think of it like this: if you walked into an ancient "Celebration of Women" event - their version of a modern rally - the verses in Proverbs 31 are what you'd see written on banners and signs.

And this woman they’re celebrating? She was a creator in every sense of the word, far more expansive than any narrative trending on social media today. She created strong character in herself. She created a strong marriage in partnership with her husband. She created businesses from the ground up - entrepreneurial and resourceful in her ventures. She created wealth through strategic investments she personally analyzed and managed. She created a well-run household, overseeing resources and staff with wisdom. She created her family's future through generous preparation and planning. She created a strong mind and body through learning and discipline. She created a reputation of integrity, hard work, and kindness. She created a life grounded in faith. She was a creator, a producer, a builder - not of just one thing, but of an entire ecosystem of value. And she understood that all of it mattered; that the variety wasn't a distraction from her purpose but the very essence of it.

Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing what I've learned from these studies - not to tell you who to be, but to show you that the women who came before us refused to be confined to a single narrative. And maybe, just maybe, we can do the same.