Pursuing Virtue is one of our two featured ministries here for June 2020. It is a ministry for our Christian women. Please visit the links provided to learn more
Three years ago, Shayla felt inspired to create a community for Christian women so that they could grow and connect with each other. After much prayer, a team was formed and Pursuing Virtue was born. Each week, a team member posts a devotional on our blog. At the end of each month, we have a special guest writer who shares the burden God has laid on her heart.
Because of the opportunities presented by technology, Pursuing Virtue has had the privilege to reach over 2 million people all across the world! We are constantly humbled by the way God has used our meager efforts to encourage and strengthen women. All glory be to God!
To learn more about Pursuing Virtue, visit our website pursuingvirtue.org.
To connect with us, find us on social media at
What exactly is virtue? How do we get it? How do we know when we have it?
What type of woman is exalted and honored in today’s society? If our culture were to rewrite Proverbs 31:10 today, what would it read like?
It might read, “Who can find a beautiful, popular, wealthy and stylish woman? For her price is far above rubies.”
Too often we rearrange the order of important qualities and characteristics to match the ideals of the world. I’m not saying that we should wear potato sacks, have no friends and be poor.
In fact, Proverbs 31:22 says she is clothed in silk and fine purple.
Proverbs 31:20 shows us that she is friendly to those in need.
Proverbs 31:24 tells us she is an entrepreneur.
I encourage having those qualities of Virtue.
But why are some of the other qualities of Virtue, such as commitment, trustworthiness, productivity, wisdom, faith, and integrity often overlooked and forgotten?
Maybe it’s because they aren’t celebrated as they should be?
So to all the mommas raising their children to love Jesus, to all the wives staying faithful and committed to your husbands, to all the single ladies living a pure and sanctified life – you are amazing! You are needed! You are celebrated!
No one may ever see everything you do behind the scenes, but God does. He is proud of you. Don’t let culture dictate your importance. Counter culture and be every part of the virtuous women God designed you to be.
To really understand what the Bible defines Virtue as, I started by looking at what it means in the original Hebrew language it was written in.
The word used in Proverbs 31:10 is chayil, which means “force” or “strength”. That same wording is used in the story of the woman with an issue of blood in the New Testament (which is one of my favorite miracles, by the way). There she was in the middle of what felt like a countless number of people…can you imagine with me for a second?
Everybody had just witnessed Jarius, a religious leader of some esteem, beg Jesus to visit his dying daughter. And just as He directed His attention to this need, Jesus was interrupted in the strangest of ways.
As the folks were shuffling around, there was a small clearing in the crowd and our lady saw this as her chance. “It’s now or never,” she must have thought, as she reached forward to clutch the edge of His clothes.
And the Savior stopped!
“Who touched me? Who touched me? … I perceive that virtue has gone out of me.”
His choice of wording recorded in the Koine Greek has the same meaning found in Proverbs 31.
Jesus was saying that a force of power had left Him.
And a beautiful thing happened when our girl stepped up, raised a trembling hand and said,
“It was me…I’m guilty…but when you know what happened when I touched you, you’ll understand why I had to.”
I like to imagine that this lady’s entire persona changed the moment she encountered Jesus and His virtue was transferred onto her. I mean, her whole outlook on life had to shift!
No longer was she an outcast to society who was dealing with a very intimate problem that left her handicapped in a lot of ways.
No longer was she going from waiting room to waiting room to hear another doctor tell her that there just wasn’t any hope for her.
The moment she touched Him, her faith and everything she believed about Jesus was validated as His virtue became hers.
And that, I think, is what defines a virtuous woman.
She is someone who has experienced the deepest and truest love of Christ and her entire life has been changed because of it.
Her words, her actions, her being are all saturated in the power of Jesus and everyone around her knows it.
She is a world-changer and she’s an essential part of the Christian church.
And you know what? She is who I want to be.
Proverbs takes a deep look into the life of a virtuous woman.
To the contrary, it isn’t a phase of good luck that has brought her to the detailed, amazing list of her excellence, but it is obvious that she is living a life full of DISCIPLINE and INTENT.
Frankly, just reading about her and all she’s busy with, makes me need to take a very long nap!
Looking at her strength that is obvious in all that she does, intimidates me a little and reminds me of how short I fall in my discipline. But she stands strong as the perfect example of what I’m striving for!
I LOVE Mr. Webster’s definition of discipline: ‘training that molds, corrects, or perfects moral character.’
So there we have it…it’s a journey to virtue…beginning as a training camp in learning what God’s word has to say about righteous living – then progressing to eventual moral excellence.
If we follow the directions given in the scriptures, it leads us to the place of virtuous living..
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. Proverbs 7:2-3
Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. Proverbs 6:21-22.
In the end, wouldn’t it be great for it to be said of us,
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Proverbs 31:29
If that’s to be the case, it won’t be because we got lucky.
We were intentional in getting there!! This journey is not for the faint of heart.
Virtue MUST be pursued!!
About the team:
Shayla Asselin – I love my life. If I could be anywhere, I would be exactly where I am today – in Savannah, happily married to my best friend, Nathaniel, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first child – Adalyn Rose. God has been so good and kind to me!
Anita Miles – I have been happily married to Jeremy for the past 16 years. I am also mom to Addison Brooke (13) and Levi Elliot (3). I love life in Savannah, my amazing family (both tribes), and my wonderful church family. I am also grateful that God has allowed me to work with people in the nursing field for the past 21 years.
Allison Martin – My husband, Jamin, and I attend Bethel Chapel Pentecostal Church in Granite City, Illinois. I teach kindergarten at my church’s Christian school. I love long walks with Jamin, making memories with family and friends, and getting lost in a good book.
Brittney Chan – I live in Savannah, GA, am an alumni of Heritage Bible College, and work as a Physical Therapist Assistant in the hospital. The best part of my day involves helping people get back to living their best lives and sharing the love of God whenever possible.