A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a happy marriage.  One of the reasons for my happy marriage is an excellent wife.  Brianne is a good Christian woman who is a Proverbs 31 woman.  (Not familiar with Proverbs 31?  I have copied the text at the end of this post.)  Today is my wife’s birthday and I wanted to share some thoughts about this wonderful woman who I am blessed to have in my life as my wife, best friend and biggest supporter.

An excellent wife who can find?
Women were made with the unique qualities that it takes to put up with men.  Verses 10-12 of Proverbs 31 give a summary of the qualities of an excellent wife.  She is a woman who is completely trusted by her husband because of her spirit and heart.  This excellent woman seeks only good for her husband and children all the days of their life.  There are no ulterior motives at play, she longs to love and provide for her husband and her family.  The worth of this woman “is far more than jewels” or put in our language today, she is priceless.

The words of wisdom in this passage are from a mother to a son.  In the original Hebrew writing these verses were arranged as an acrostic poem following the Hebrew alphabet.  No doubt this was done by a wise mother who taught this to her son at a young age and arranged it in such a way that he would remember it when he was older.  (Only a woman would be wise enough to think this out.)  Beauty is fleeting, wealth is deceitful, but an excellent wife is to be prized, cherished and loved.

Qualities of An Excellent Wife
Verses 13-29 of Proverbs 31 speak of the specific qualities that an excellent woman will possess.  Some of the physical traits are dated to the time of the writing of Proverbs, but the attributes demonstrated through those activities are timeless.  Allow me to hit a few of the highlights as I see them.

She works with wiling hands

So many of the characteristics of an excellent woman is that she is a hard worker.  Women as a whole seem to be gifted with the ability to do things that men might find challenging.  We could stop right at child birth and move on, but it goes well beyond.  A good woman sees into the hearts of her children and husband and speaks to the needs she sees.  She provides the things that it takes to make the household function.

If you’re starting to think that this is impossible, don’t stop reading just yet.  I think too often good women ‘beat themselves up’ thinking that they are not doing all that they could be doing or that they should be doing more.  A woman with willing hands and a heart that is constantly measuring her worth, effort and ideals is an excellent woman!

Too often the women who are living carelessly and out of control (think of any of the women you see on those “Real Housewives” shows) are the ones who should stop and really look at themselves and the lives they are living.  Too often our excellent women are too hard on themselves and the women who really need to get it together seem perfectly content.

She Opens Her Hand To Her Household, The Poor and The Needy
Throughout the text, we find an excellent woman is giving and thinks of others.  She provides food for her household, her friends and those who are in need.  She uses her talents in a variety of areas to share, teach and show love.  While her husband is away he does not worry about the managing of the household because this excellent woman is there keeping things going.

I travel quite a bit with my job, not as much as some, but I am gone for weeks at a time several times a year.  I never worry about my children or the household while I am gone because I know my wife has things under control.  Is it easy for her?  No, and I recognize the challenge and sacrifice that she is making to keep up with our children and the needs of our household while still working a part-time job.  My wife is most definitely an excellent woman.

An Excellent Wife Is A Woman of Vision
To say that God made women different than men would be an understatement.  Women think and perceive in a different manner than most men can.  I am constantly amazed by the vision my wife has, her ability to see things that I hadn’t even considered and the insight she can bring to everything in life.  The excellent woman in Proverbs 31 was a woman of vision and foresight.

She could see the future needs of her family and manged to buy a field to fulfill their needs.  She found ways to produce extra income for the family through hard work and thought.  She made a name for herself in the community, was spoken well of and had a good reputation.  Her words and her teaching were filled with wisdom.

Excellent women challenge their husbands and children to reach, strive and achieve more.  They provide the foundation of love and trust to propel themselves and their family to great things.  An excellent woman also possesses the ability to ‘reel them back in’ when they are heading in the wrong direction or comforts them when failures happen.  I have a wife who blesses me in my various pursuits, provides inspiration and motivation when needed.

It’s Not Easy Being Excellent
At the end of chapter 31 there are a few closing thoughts about an excellent woman.  Her children and her husband rise up and praise her.  I think it is interesting that it is specifically mentioned that they ‘rise up.’  They make an effort, they want to stand and shout, they want the world to know they have an excellent woman in their house.

The text continues in saying that there have been many excellent women, but this woman surpasses them all.  I am blessed to know many excellent women.  I have excellent women in my family.  There are excellent women at church.  Many of our friends are excellent women.  But my wife, the woman I see in good times and bad, surpasses them all.  I believe that women need to hear that they are excellent and that their family praises them.  The work is hard and we live in a culture that beats on the image of a good woman all the time.  An excellent woman deserves praise everyday…loud praise…public praise…private praise…quiet praise…she deserves the knowledge that her family loves and appreciates her.

The text concludes with a final warning about beauty and charm.  Many women take a lot of time and spend a lot of money on makeup, surgery and other procedures to make their outward appearance look beautiful.  The text describes this as vanity.  There is nothing wrong with looking good or feeling good about the way you look, but in many cases this focus on beauty tries to coverup the spiritual void that is inside.  Verse 30 specifically says that “a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”  A woman who knows God, knows His word and lives it out has a beauty that no lipstick or surgeon could ever achieve.  Give that woman the praise, credit and blessing that she deserves.

Final Thought
If you’re a excellent woman…God bless you!!!  I am married to an excellent woman.  She might not always feel that she is excellent, but she is incredibly excellent.  Her spirit, intelligence, trust and love are just a few of the things that I admire and respect about her.

I know I have a variety of readers for my blog now.  A good number of you are women.  I appreciate each one of you and hope that I haven’t said anything to offend. (I tend to stick my foot in my mouth often whether typing or talking.)  I think that strong Christian women are a blessing to their husbands, their families, the community and the church.  I appreciate your efforts, keep up the good work, and thanks for reading along as I ‘sing the praises’ of my excellent wife.

Of course one of the best things you can do to be a blessing to your family is take some time to study the Bible with them.  Having a time of family worship is critical to the spiritual success of your family.  I just happen to have a Bible study that you can sit down and do with your family tonight.  We have been working through the life events of Abraham and Sarah for several weeks now.  We are in chapter 18 this week.  I hope this worship guide is a blessing to your family >>> Week 10 – Faith of Abraham – Part 7

Proverbs 31 (ESV)
As promised, the text of Proverbs 31:10-31: