Credit Where Credit Is Due

We come now to the end of this poem about the excellent wife. Do you know women like this? Praise them. Give them credit where credit is due. The excellent wife is not doing all these things so that she can be recognized - she is doing all she does out of obedience to bring glory to God. But still she deserves to be recognized not just with a well done my good and faithful servant, not just with a thank you honey or thanks Mommy, but with recognition from others in her life.

There are many women who deserve to be praised like this. There are many women that I want to model my life after theirs. To the homeschooling mother of six who has raised her children to love and serve God and has allowed God to use her to bless countless other women, to you I say well done. To the young widow who has raised her children to love and serve God, I say well done. To the pastor's wife who has faced numerous health challenges and yet still stands by her husband and joyfully serves the Lord, I say well done. May you all be praised by e good things you have done and may God be praised because of you.

Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is he beginning of wisdom. The excellent wife, this woman of noble character, that I have been studying these last few weeks is wise. She fears the Lord. She understands her place in front of the Lord. She understands her limitations and His attributes. She knows who she is and she knows who He is. Without a right relationship with God, without a right picture of who God is, all that she does is worthless. Pursuing a right relationship with God keeps her other relationships in line. This is the kind of woman I want to be.

Cream Of The Crop

The excellent wife is not the only woman of noble character out there. The are many others. Isn't it good to not be alone. She draws inspiration from the others. She is moved by what they do. This spirs her on to even greater things. I thank God for he many noble women in my life. May I learn from their examples and become like them!

Those Who Really Know Her

Who really knows the excellent wife? Her children and her husband. This wife of noble character, those closest to her can see her noble character. Her children see it and bless her. Her husband sees her and praises her. Her noble character is not just a show put on for the world to see. It is how she lives behind closed doors. Do those who know you best see your noble character?

Eyes In The Back Of Her Head

Did your mom have eyes in the back of her head? Did she know what was going on even if she did not see it? The excellent wife is like that. She watches over her household. She knows what is happening in it. She knows that the dishwasher needs to be emptied and that the laundry needs to be sorted. Her work is never done. Though it may sound exhausting, and she may be exhausted, she does it willingly. She is not just keeping herself busy, she is taking care of her household. She doesn't want anything to fall through the cracks lest any under her care suffer. She is willing to put the needs of others before her own needs. She does it not out of empty obedience or in fear of the tyranny of the urgent. She does it out of love.

Loving Instruction

The excellent wife is a teacher. She may not have a classroom or students, but she is a teacher. She is not to be bothered with foolishness. She speaks wisdom. She wants the words she speaks to make those around her become better people. She wants those around her to become more like Christ. She knows that is what is important and she doesn't want to waste her time on other things.

Confidence

Some days you just want to stay in your pajamas all day long. Maybe you're not feeling well. Or maybe you're in something more seductive and your husband has the day off.  But most days, you must get up and face the world. What do you wear? The excellent wife clothes herself with strength and honor. She is ready to face the day. She knows where her strength comes from. Her strength comes from the Lord. She is confident as she faces the day because she knows that her Lord has plans for her today. The world may taunt her and try and sow fear in her heart, but her heart belongs to the Lord.

Only The Best

I was just pricing fine linen fabric. It is not cheap. In fact, I was blown away with how expensive it was. The excellent wife deals with fine linen. She uses the best materials. She sells what she makes. She sells high quality items that are in demand with the merchants.

Whatever you make, is it crap? Or do you give it your best and try to make something worthwhile? Do you cut corners because you don't care or do you carefully do everything it requires?

Do your best. Give of your best. Take time to care about what you do. You're worth it.

Behind Every Great Man

The discussion of the excellent wife turns to her husband. He is a leader in their community. He is well-known and respected. In part, this can be because of his excellent wife. There is no murmuring about his family or the shenanigans at home. There is no scandal brewing in his marriage. He can lead in the community because his household is in order. Behind every great man is a great woman. Are you that woman?

She's So Fine

The excellent wife is no slob. She cares about how her home looks. She cares about how she looks. She makes sure that she has nice things for her home - she makes cover lets for the bed - so that her home is comfortable for her family and for guests. She wears fine clothing. She doesn't want to reflect badly on herself or her family. She's not vain or trying to impress people. She is warm and wants to welcome people. She wants her family to feel loved and well taken care of. How about you?

Not Afraid

Winter is over and I, for one, am glad. Of course, it seems that everywhere I drive, I am still reminded of the recent winter. There is still sand at the edge of the roads left over from when it snowed. At this point, it seems like it would take Noahic rains to wash it all off the roads. I don't think that is in the forecast.

But when it snowed, we had nothing to worry about. The roof over our heads, though old, was not in danger of failing. We never lost heat. The wood stove made the house feel like it was summertime. The kids all had warm clothes to wear and plenty of hot chocolate to drink.

The excellent wife is somewhat of a realist. She realizes the blessings she has and the protection she has. She may even be pragmatic and has planned to make sure that she and her family are ready. This I know. It may be almost summer, but I'm ready. Let it snow.

Extending Her Hand

The excellent wife loves others. She extends hers hand to shake their hand. She extends her hand to pull them up out of the pit. She extends her hand to embrace them. She extends he hand in peace. She extends her hand to show them she is not a threat. She extends her hand in love. To whom can you extend you hand today?

What She Needs

What can't she do? Really, it's seeming like the excellent wife is a super woman! She spins her own yarn or thread. That's something that seems so far from my reality. I can't do that. But then again, I don't need to. When I consider this verse with a little more humility, I think of how when she had a need, she doesn't immediately ask "who can help me?" She instead asks "what can I do?" It's so easy to buy clothes at your favorite store. Want a new dress? Take a quick trip to the mall and you're sure to find plenty to choose from. Don't like it anymore? Donate it, throw it out, or just leave it in the back of your closet. But what if it wasn't so easy? If you had to sew your own dress, you might have made something that you might have liked even better and would have lasted longer. If you had poured your heart into making it, you may have treasured it more and been more satisfied. That's the secret of the excellent wife. She pours her heart into what she does and is satisfied with it.

Leave A Light On

Again we see that the excellent wife is a hard worker and a careful planner. I am reminded of the parable of the virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Some of them don't have enough oil for their lamps and they miss the arrival of the bridegroom because they ran out of oil and had to go buy more. The excellent wife is like those virgins who were prepared and had enough oil. Are you prepared for the Bridegroom's coming?

She Prepares Herself

The excellent wife prepares herself for life. She gets herself ready so that nothing will hold her back from doing what needs to be done. She takes care of herself physically so that she will be able to accomplish the tasks before her. She works hard to complete them.

What do you do to prepare yourself for the day? Do your exercise and prepare yourself physically? Do you go before the Lord and prepare yourself spiritually? When you work, do you do enough to get by or are you a workaholic? Do you work as unto the Lord?

You cannot be a woman of noble character and just coast through life. Every day, you must prepare,yourself and work hard at it. You go girl!

On Your Own

The excellent wife is always thinking and planning for the future. She does not sit idly by and just let things happen, she makes things happen. As a rule, she doesn't buy things on impulse. She thinks things through. She starts something knowing that she needs to keep working at it to receive the reward. This doesn't sound like me all the time. Does it sound like you? What changes do we need to make to be more like this?

Good Morning

How early do you roll out of bed? What do you do when you get up? The excellent wife is an early riser. In the da park of the early morning hours she knows that she can get things done. She probably takes care of herself first and then she starts to prepare for the day. She makes sure that her household's needs are taken care of - before they need it. When the rest of the household awakens, she is ready for them. How excellent is that?

Free To Sail

Are you tied down, never leaving the house? Chances are that you are not. If you are like me, there are probably several different grocery stores within an easy drive of where you live. Not only do I have several traditional American groceries nearby, but there are also several international and ethnic grocers to choose from. And if that's not enough, Amazon and other websites would love to sell me some food.

The excellent wife has this freedom to. She doesn't subsist on the same old same old every day. She has the freedom to try new and exotic things. So be a good wife and go shopping'

She Is Pleased To Work With Her Hands

This excellent wife that Proverbs 31 is talking about is a worker. She doesn't just sit around all day long. She's not wasting away her entire day sipping coffee at Starbucks with her friends. She's not lounging by the pool. No, she is getting things done not because she has to but because she wants to. She can't let her hands be idle. Maybe it's just housework and chores. Maybe it's a hobby that she works at. Or maybe she has a job that helps pay the bills. Regardless of what it is, she keeps busy and it brings her pleasure. What do you do?

She Brings Good

What a blessing a good wife can be. Good flows out of her every day. Her husband is richly blessed because of her.

What is flowing out of you day in and day out? Is it good or evil? Yes, we all,sin. But are we seeking to do good? Are we seeking to bless others by the good that we are doing? Do the good works God has designed you to do. As you do them, bless your husband. He will be better off because of it.