I received this message from Emily Simonson, a senior at Cascade Christian High School in Puyallup, Washington:
I read A Year of Biblical Womanhood a few months ago at the recommendation of my female mentor. At first I was a little skeptical (the phrase “biblical womanhood” can be a little alarming for any girl who’s been raised in the Christian church) but now, I am incredibly glad she put the book in my hands. For me, it was three hundred and fifty two pages of affirmation, which probably explains why I shared it with those I thought would benefit from it: my best friend, my Bible teacher, and inadvertently it seems, one of my best guy friends. He overheard my teacher and me discussing the concept of “Eshet Chayil” one day after class, and he asked to hear more. Though he hadn’t read the book, he voiced his support of praising a woman for who she is, not what she does. We talked about how sad it is that girls (and boys) are judged solely on their performance, and how we hoped to be good examples to our underclassmen in this area. This short, five-minute conversation occurred three months ago and while it was profound, I naturally assumed he had forgotten all about it.
He hadn’t.
Today, over fifty senior girls received carnations in various hues encouraging them to remember that “charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). None of us had any idea this would happen, and as a carnation was placed on each desk, every girl’s face began with bewilderment and transformed to joy. Eshet Chayil became the buzz word of the day, and as girls discovered what it meant, they were even more impressed by this random act of kindness. I came to find out (mostly through coercion) that my friend had been the mastermind behind the whole project: he picked out the flowers, got our teacher’s approval, and recruited his fellow senior boys to help deliver them. There was no ego involved; the boys simply wanted to humbly affirm their female classmates and sisters in Christ. For many girls, Valentine’s Day normally involves copious amounts of insecurity and anxiety, but instead I saw many smiles as girls walked down the halls with their flowers. Today, women of valor were honored by MEN of valor.
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How cool is that? I think we should call these "valor flowers."
Thanks so much, Emily, for sharing this story.
Learn more about "eshet chayil" in A Year of Biblical Womanhood.
See also: "Women of Valor: It's About Character, Not Roles"