Proverbs 31 - Rubies and Virtue
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I'm sure there are some fellas out there asking themselves this same question; wondering if they will ever find a woman who is virtuous and capable. There may even be some long-time husbands asking the same. The good news for us women is we can start sewing these qualities into our lives at any time. Being a woman who is virtuous and capable isn't dependent upon your past, your relationship status, the attitude of your husband, or any other external factor. It's a prayerful decision made within ourselves each day that's able to operate independent of outside influences.
What man wouldn't want a virtuous wife? The dictionary describes this adjective as conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright. Wow! That's a tall order, ladies. This would encompass every area of our lives, from our jobs (if we work outside the home) to relationships with people, even family. To be morally excellent would be to ask the Lord to help us act as He would act in difficult situations. These come in all forms: seeing a job through to the end even when your heart isn't in it, taking the high road with another woman who is coming on to your husband, showing grace to a person that has stolen from you or wronged you, and any other dicey situation that may be flung our way. Unfortunately, it also includes apologizing for any part you play in issues of discord within your marriage, family, and community. Of the plethora of things we could say about virtue one thing is certain, it's a lifelong quality that takes much training and practice to accomplish. The point is to keep striving for virtue as we seek the Lord's direction each step of the way.
Now let's look at what it means to be a capable wife. The dictionary defines the adjective, capable, as having power and ability; efficient; competent. People, and yes even our husbands, need to know that we have the ability to get done what needs to be done as efficiently as possible. We are his help meet after all. The way we operate and contribute to our husbands, community, and family is a direct reflection of him. If we desire to bring our husbands honor, we need only make the most of our time in a way that capitalizes on our abilities and competencies in a highly efficient way. This would probably not include getting a snippy attitude when it comes to remedial duties around such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. It would also involve asking how we can help your husband or even asking the Lord what part we play in helping to make his dreams become a reality.
More Precious Than Rubies:
What about this notion of a good wife being more precious than rubies? Countless books have been written exclusively on this verse alone. People quote it often, women's retreats are themed around it, and entire podcast series have been broadcast on it too. But how much is a ruby really worth?
My short internet research yielded: Rubies are one of the most popular gems for good reasons; they are exceptionally durable and one of the few gem species whose color reaches vivid saturation levels. Fine quality rubies are some of the most expensive gems, with record prices over $100,000 per carat. I can picture it now; as we grow in virtue and capability we begin enriching the lives of our husbands and drawing close to those around us. All of the sudden the Lord begins to increase our value. Our red brilliance becomes more vivid and saturated as we're inundated and covered in the blood of the Lamb. It's a beautiful picture of how God chips away the old, rigid parts of our hearts to change us from the inside out. Before we know it, our value exceeds $100k per carat.
Trust:
Marriage is most definitely a two-way street, but the bride's attitude, compliance, and stress level have much to do with setting the tone and temperature of her home and family. We want to be women above reproach; as such, we need to be women who allow no room for distrust. If our husbands don't trust us our marriages can't work as God designed. It's difficult to portray an accurate picture of the church within our marriages to a watching world if we can't trust one another within our homes. Be a wife who doesn't give the enemy any ground for strongholds in our hearts. Be true to your husband, and have clear boundaries with other men . Do what you say you're going to do, and be where you say you're going to be. Trust is a garden by which holy attributes in a marriage are planted, germinated, cultivated, bloom, and grow. Communicate trust, earn trust, and let's be trustworthy women in all we do; this will enrich the lives of our husbands.
As a humorous end to this devotion I'd like to add another tidbit of information I found while doing that short internet search I mentioned earlier on rubies: Accurately grading rubies requires knowing a great deal about them, and there is a great deal to know about them. Isn't that the truth, ladies? There's absolutely no way he is even able grade all this until he "knows a great deal about it; and there is a great deal to know about it." *grin*wink*
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