Let me just start off by telling you all how blessed I have been by this study so far. Where I am right now there are very few women who do get together for ladies' study. Back when we were at Memphis while my husband was studying to expand his knowledge so he could go out and preach God's word, we had ladies' class every Monday night. So it was a big change going from weekly, to monthly if that. This has been so encouraging to me. I really can't tell you all exactly how I feel about this segment here... it means a lot to me that you all are joining in here.
Moving on!
These verses {I mean the verses we've already discussed} keep building up, don't they? First we talked about
being a virtuous wife, and we've been building on that with being a wife that
earns and keeps her husband's trust.
This verse, I feel, just builds even more off of that. Our husbands should be able to trust us, because we will only do good to him, and not evil, all the days of our lives.
That seems like an easy thing to say. Good only, no evil.
A wife needs to be an asset to her husband, which means, she would be of value to him. Specifically with these verses, her value would be far above rubies! She won't be a disadvantage to him. She won't add sorrow to his life, but joy, by her actions and behavior.
This is a constant thing. And there are so many ways we can do good to our husbands to add value to his life. For instance, if your husband works really hard during the day, perhaps it would add value to his life that after he is finished with his work {probably for most of you he would work away from home, so if he came home after work---}, he wouldn't have to worry about doing a lot of the stuff around the house. It would already be done, as a way to thank him for caring for you. Make him feel appreciated by showing him how much he means to you. It will make him feel loved and in turn he will see you as being valuable to him.
Be good to him. Don't pick fights or hold grudges. Don't start the blame game. Marriage is not always easy but it should never be a battle field.
The second part of the verse, "all the days of her life" are very important here, too. It seems like a very simple phrase, but just look at it. ALL the days. Marriage from the very beginning was meant for two people.
A husband and wife are supposed to become one flesh, inseparable! If your body was ever split in half, don't you think that would be painful? And shouldn't that be how it is when we are apart from our spouse? This coming weekend, Benjamin and I are going to be out of state, away from my husband. And while we are going to be with family, and we are going to probably have a lot of fun, it's going to be very painful being away from my husband for even three days. There are some couples who actually take separate vacations from each other! How can they do this?! Doesn't it pain them?
Actually someone told me once of someone they worked with who gave his wife two cruise tickets for Christmas or something like that, and she immediately thought of friends who could go with her. When her friend told her she couldn't go, the wife grudgingly told her husband that he could go.
Do you think that wife adds much value to this man's life? I think not. Would it surprise you if I told you that the couple recently split?
That's a big thing today now, though. Divorce. Nobody really likes to talk about it from a religious point of view, and I can leave that open for discussion in comments if you'd like. But isn't it sad that the rate of divorce in America is
close to 50%? And with the way that people treat their marriages so lightly and nonchalantly, I am sure the rate is only climbing in the future!
Marriage is a divine institution that God placed even in the very beginning! How do you think God feels when He sees that so many people are just throwing aside this divine institution that He created for us?
A virtuous wife is one that honors the wedding vows. She is one who intends to be joined to her husband for life. When the going gets tough, she puts 110% effort into making things better, and to have a marriage that is pleasing to God.
{I want to be clear here, because I do have friends who have suffered divorces: I know that the ideal scenarios don't always play out. I understand this. What I am trying to say is my thoughts on the subject, that a wife has the duty to put as much effort as she can into saving a marriage that seems to be in danger. This effort is not always met. We all know that marriage is a partnership, and when one falls out, then the partnership is torn. I mourn marriages that end in divorce, for all who are involved, especially if the couple have children.}
A virtuous wife is going to be good to her husband in each and every way all the days of her life. What are your thoughts on this? I haven't even been married for 3 years ... all the days of my life haven't passed yet {though, we have no idea how long our lives will be}!
As always, thank you for your discussion and posts if you plan on making them! I look forward to reading all of your thoughts!
