While on our vacation in New York City, we stopped by the Rockefeller Center. It’s an iconic place to visit and surrounded by high end stores. We found ourselves walking into one jewelry store and were oohing and awing the entire time. One of the pieces was a ruby bracelet…gorgeous and extravagantly-priced, too!
A ruby is a traditional gem like an emerald or a diamond. How many of us, if we wanted to purchase of one these spectacular pieces of jewelry, would be able to? I’ll check in with my husband, but I have an inkling his answer rhymes with “snow and glow”. Not today.
The Bible, in Proverbs 31, says that a virtuous wife is FAR ABOVE rubies. Not just a wife, but a VIRTUOUS wife.
What does virtuous mean, anyway? Having or showing high moral standards.
Any woman can say “I do” or “I will” at the altar. Two simple words. However, living it out is a whole different level. Ask anyone married > 1 year.
What makes this woman so valuable, anyway? Let’s take a look:
CHARACTER:
~What does she wear? This chapter says that strength and honor are her clothing. Clothing is close to you. Do you wear it? Can someone recognize you as someone with strength and honor.
~She fears the Lord, is wise, and is kind.
RELATIONSHIP WITH HER HUSBAND:
~He trusts her. When she is out with her friends, how does she speak of him? Can my husband trust that I will speak of high highly or does he worry that I may speak ill of him? Does he worry that I will overspend? Is he concerned that I may be stingy? With our kids, does he trust that I will raise them with godly standards?
~She is good to him and not evil. Am I praying for him? For his success at work? For his role as a father? As a leader in our home? As wives, daughters, sisters, we need to use our positions to lift up the men and boys in our lives. You are positioned in their lives to influence them, too.
WORK
~Is your work in or outside the home? This chapter talks about both! It says that she sells outside her home: so a businesswoman. It also says that she watches over her household.
~One challenge for those who work outside the home: while it’s ambitious to climb the ladder at your workplace, remember your kids only have one Mama and your hubby has only one wife. It’s hard to do it all. Neglecting your responsibilities as a mother or a wife is not worth the ministry God has given you.
But when you ARE at work, think of yourself as an ambassador of Jesus. Sometimes, which I pull up into the parking garage, I think to myself, “OK, today, I represent Jesus. I am an ambassador. What assignment do you have for me today?”
~If you’re at home, do you view your work as just another chore? Or is it as a purposeful manager of your house and family? We are all managing something! Don’t minimize your assignment.
There is so much more to this amazing woman in Proverbs 31, and I encourage you to dig further. This chapter is relevant to: anyone that is married now, anyone desiring marriage, anyone guiding a young woman to someday be married or to anyone who will teach a young may what to look for in a wife.
I pray that when someone encounters us, they can see the sparkly, beautiful qualities of a virtuous woman.
~Elizabeth/Betsy
