FOR VALENTINE’S DAY, I’ve been thinking about how lucky I am to have married the lady I did. I dodged a few bullets, let me tell you.
In Bible times, the mother of a king named Lemuel told her son what to look for in a woman.
It wasn’t a curvy figure or charm.
If you’re a single guy looking for lady, pay attention. This advice was good enough for a king, so it’s probably good enough for you.
If you’re a lady, find yourself in here. You can do it.
This is from the Bible Book of Proverbs.
The wife
31:10. Who on earth can find a good wife?
She’s as rare as a bag of jewels, and worth even more.
31:11. Her lucky husband can trust her with everything
because she’s got his back and that’s all he needs.
31:12. She brightens his day every day of his life. Trouble doesn’t stand a chance.
31:13. Somehow she manages to find the wool and flax she needs, and she spins it with a smile.
31:14. She’s like a fleet of cargo ships importing gourmet food from abroad.
31:15. She gets up so early that it’s still dark outside.
She does it to make breakfast. She even makes extra for the babysitter and anyone else around at breakfast time.
31:16. Would you believe it, she even uses her mad money to buy a plug of ground so she can plant a garden.
31:17. She works hard,
and the muscles in her arms show it.
31:18. She knows when she’s had a good day,
but she doesn’t quit when it gets dark. The lights stay on.
31:19. She goes back to the chore of spinning thread.
31:20. She keeps her eyes open for people in need,
and she gives them a helping hand.
31:21. When the cold winter blows, no big deal.
Her family is warm in the clothes she made.
31:22. She makes her own quilts, too,
and dresses herself in the fine linen she deserves.
31:23. Movers and shakers in the city know her husband well.
31:24. In her spare time she makes clothes to sell.
Retailers buy them and sell them again.
31:25. She’s a strong woman, dignified and confident.
31:26. Her advice is wise and her teaching style is gentle.
31:27. She’s on top of everything needed to keep the family running.
There’s not a lazy bone in her body.
31:28. Her children brag about her
and so does her husband. He tells her,
31:29. “There are some wonderful women out there, my dear, but you take the cake.”
31:30. A woman can fake charm and lose her beauty to gravity,
but a woman who loves God is a woman worth loving.
31:31. Give her everything she has worked so hard for.
And tell everyone how lucky it is that a bum like you won a prize like her.
Steve’s paraphrase, Proverbs 31:10-31, Casual English Bible TM
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