Dear Sisters,

I recently celebrated my 37^th wedding anniversary by revisiting one of my favorite scriptures that details the attributes and behavior of the Wife of Noble Character. I think all Christian women should refer to this passage often and strive to be like this woman as we all are collectively the “bride of Christ”.

Proverbs 31

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

These are verses that I have studied, consulted and taught from many times throughout my marriage. Once, to shed a different light on the proverb, I decided to write its antithesis; basically the complete opposite of what God intends for us to be in our relationships. I found the result very challenging. I would like to share it with you here in the hope that it has a similar impact on you.

THE WOMAN OF IGNOBLE CHARACTER

A woman of ignoble character is easy to find.
She is worth less than dirt.

Her husband has no confidence in her.
He is always having to pay for her failures.

She hurts him constantly-
every day of his life.

She makes poor choices of things to buy
and is lazy.

She seldom goes to the grocery store,
she prefers fast food for her family’s diet.

She sleeps in while her kids and husband fend for themselves,
getting breakfast and off to work and school.

She is careless with how she spends money,
she buys worthless things.

She works as little as possible,
she is a weakling.

She wants to be taken care of
and loves to waste time doing nothing.

She makes no effort to learn useful things
that would benefit her family and others.

She is selfish and wants no part of helping others,
she prefers not to be around the poor or needy –
they make her uncomfortable.

When cold weather comes the family is unprepared.
She hasn’t taken time to get her children boots, gloves and hats.

She never makes the bed or concerns herself with housekeeping.
She could care less about her appearance.

Her Husband is considered a henpecked wimp by his friends and co-workers.
He is always rushing around filling in for his lazy wife.

She expects to be taken care of,
and nags her husband to make more money.

She is a weak slob, with no goals, character, or expectations of herself.
She does not think about the consequences of her neglectfulness.

Her conversations are about foolish things,
she has nothing useful to say.

She shuts her eyes to her children’s whereabouts and activities –
she doesn’t want to be responsible.

Her children have contempt for her.
She is a disappointment to her husband.

He thought at one time she was special but no more.

She is deceitful and unattractive.
She has no fear of God.

She has earned a bad reputation with all who know her.

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love,

Lydia