November 22 A Good Wife
November 22
A Good Wife
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
—Proverbs 31:30
Why is it I cringe whenever I read Proverbs 31? Probably because the wife mentioned is more than chief cook and bottle washer. This lady buys real estate, reads The Wall Street Journal, designs and sells clothes, keeps a daily exercise routine, runs her household as smoothly as a fine-tuned machine, is praised by her children, helps the homeless, gives to the poor, then goes to bed late and rises early. I’m exhausted just reading about her. When I look to Proverbs 31 for inspiration, I find it hard to get past the first verse. Because of my disability, I can’t even open a refrigerator door. Push a vacuum cleaner? I tried that once when I had a friend “tie” it to the front of my power wheelchair so I could push and pull it over the carpet. I’m still finding nicks and scratches on my floorboards to this day.
What’s funny is that Ken thinks I’m a good wife. Our marriage is good not because I know how much toilet paper is left on the roll, or that I can juggle five bags of groceries when leaving the market. Ken believes I am a good wife because of one tiny verse in Proverbs 31—I’ve learned and am still learning, to fear the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and it is wisdom that gives any marriage depth and meaning. You and I may not be able to match the work level of the Proverbs 31 woman, but we can have her character. No matter what we do, we can be faithful, supportive, sensitive, kind, observant, creative, and loving.
The best way I can love my family and friends, Lord, is to first fear You. May I be faithful and loving today to those whom You’ve placed in my life.