Dear Woman who’s twitter bio states only that you are A Proverbs 31 wife & mother (or some variation of that),

As someone who is both a son and husband let me tell you; we’re not worth it.

I realize that a twitter bio is hardly a full picture one’s life, but I fear that what leads someone to feel that this sentence is sufficient in describing who they are is an indication of the scope of their aspirations. So again; we’re not worth it. As a son and husband I hope I bring immeasurable joy and delight to my mother and wife, but ultimately, I alone will be unfulfilling to them.

Let me be clear. I love Proverbs 31 as I do all of scripture. I believe it admirable that you honor and serve your husband and care for your children, as I find it admirable that he would do those things for you. I also believe that God calls many to a life of those things, but those things (as with all things) are only fulfilling in so far as they relate to the deeper service to Jesus.

This may be offensive to some, but, to point to such a specific place in scripture to describe the purpose of your life might be lacking. All same things could be said if someone describes themselves as a “Psalm 128:2 woman/man,” (You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours). It’s a fine scripture, God breathed in fact like the rest of it. But is it appropriate to describe the totality of one’s life? By itself it leaves out all context and any mention of Jesus and suffering that following him might bring?

If we’ve fallen into a belief that says the best we can do in life is to find the whole of our identity in our relation to someone else, instead of finding it in our relation to God himself, we have to ask ourselves if that’s ultimately honoring to God.

I chose this particular passage (Proverbs 31), because I really did read that twitter bio, because I see it routinely used poorly and because many in privileged positions have used it to keep women in positions they were not called to, but the reality is that there are a myriad of issues and scripture that we use to justify not seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven.

Have you encountered this or other idols in the church/Christian culture?