Proverbs 31: 10 "A good wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels."
Good - virtuous, just, commendable, kind,
benevolent, skillful, competent, loyal; something conforming to the moral order of the universe.
There is a vast difference between having
a good wife and a 'wife'. Many men have a wife, but how many have a 'good wife'?
According to the definitions above of 'good'
this type of woman is rare indeed today. I will just touch on a few of our words.
The first word listed is virtuous. How many
women are chaste, which means modest or decent, not lewd? Not many today. So many wives and mothers today pattern themselves
after Hollywood and show all they can of the flesh and think nothing of it. I think of my mother and grandmother and I would
have been horrified if they had dressed and acted like women commonly do today.
I worked
in a department store for about six weeks upon my return from the Philippines as a missionary. One day during a lunch break
I happen to overhear a group of women talking about men....what they were saying was astonishing to me.....they were revealing
corrupt consciences, evil hearts, and minds. No virtue there. To make matters worse - these women went to church.
From years of observation - how one dresses,
music one listens to, books one reads, shows one watches reveals what is in the heart and....mind. A woman reveals
a lot about herself by these few things.
Our
next word is just. Have you ever known of a mother that plays favorites among their children? What damage she does to those
souls. The both sides grow up emotionally crippled and have a hard time relating to others; one will use people to
their advantage, the other will not be able to trust and love.
Being kind does not come easy in the world
we live in today. Many mix what they preceive to be kindness with a thought of being kind to gain advantage. How many women
have I observed over the years that are kind in a person's presence then gossip behind that person's back saying all manner
of 'unkind' things about them? Kind has truly lost all meaning - unfortunately being kind today means what was thought of
was not said to the person's face.
Skillful and competent....some may ask, "How
does this apply to being a 'wife' or 'mother'? Oh, it applies. How many wives are skillful at making a home? It takes great
effort. One has to be a 'self-starter'; by this I mean, not passing the tasks on to the sibblings, but doing the things wives
and mothers should do because it is to be done by them. How many kids are bringing up kids? Why is it there is no making a
plan for the week as to what will be for supper that week with a valid grocery list with nutrious food items instead of 'fast
food' for the husband?
Where are 'routines' for household chores
and washing or ironing? Did I mention 'ironing'? Yes, there is nothing wrong with sending a husband off to work looking neat...even
if it is work clothes because he works in a factory. But, most shake the piece of cloth coming out of the dryer and hang it
up in the closet - sort of rumpled but not too bad...so they think.
It takes effort to become 'skillful and competent'
at anything and everything.
Loyal....moral goodness. What man would not
appreciate a loyal....morally pure wife? What man would not become what every women wants in a husband if she would pray for
him and be an example instead of comparing him to the man next door or how dad use to be? If husband doesn't go to church
- mom should and take the children...setting the pace by grace showing the faith that women are capable of possessing.
Yes, man a is truly blessed if his wife is
like this lady. She is far more precious than jewels...this woman would be 'priceless' to the man and his children; unfortunately
our society has advocated a lopsided view of womanhood and made 'beautiful and sleek' the prize - a cheap imitation of a real
wife and mother.
