She Does Him Good – Proverbs in Practice

Former procrastinators, does delay affect your following the example in Proverbs 31:10-31?

Let’s look at only a few things:

• She is trustworthy.  “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.”  Do I put off honoring my husband in some way because it irritates me? This woman is respectful of her husband.  The children see this.  She doesn’t put him down in front of others.  She keeps a confidence and doesn’t share what needs to remain private.  He can count on her to do what she says she will.  He knows he can rely on her to fulfill her responsibilities. He has no fear of “loose cannon” behavior from her because she conducts herself with dignity.  She does not overextend them financially. 

• She is an asset to her husband.  “She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.”  She’s an asset not just because she cooks and cleans, but for the reasons above and especially because she fears the Lord.  That means she grows spiritually through the years.  She keeps her covenant vows to him.  She raises the children to fear God and be responsible people.  She does not bring him shame.  She speaks truth and does not enable wrong.  I look back on years of tardiness and know I harmed my husband.  Learning to be punctual is a way of doing my husband good.

• She cares for her appearance.  Are we waiting for a better haircut or until we lose weight?   Does our appearance advertise that we’re exhausted or pinching pennies?  I once read that a man acknowledged his wife was overweight, but he said, “She still makes an effort to look nice and I appreciate that. Her effort shows.”  Do we look like we put thought into our appearance?  Do we look like assets?  Often, I say “I’m just hanging around home today” to excuse my sloppiness.
  
  Susie shocked Jane by saying she couldn’t afford to dress like Jane did.  Susie bought new at full price; Jane actually spent far less than that. The key is not the money but the choices.  We can go to the same places and spend the same amount of money but come out with different choices.   Some items are well made and attractive on us, others not so much.  The idea, as Anne Ortland indicated, is to look for “purple,” or good quality – and for what enhances our appearance.  Careful sale, consignment, and thrift shopping can allow us to buy higher quality while stewarding finances well.
  
• She takes responsibility for herself. These 21 verses infer that she takes initiative.  Rising early and staying up late say she does what it takes to get a job done.  Household management, conducting business, or tending to her relationship with family and the Lord, she takes responsibility.

In what way can you do your husband good this week?