Winning isn't Everything - Prov 31:10-11

So week two of the Proverbs 31 study was very good and very convicting.  It covered Prov 31:10-11 and various other verses also in Proverbs. 

This week's lessons really made me stop and take notice of the worth God places on a wife.  I am to be of value to my husband, not because of any monetary contribution I can make but because of my character.  Proverbs 31:10 teaches that a noble, virtuous, capable, and excellent wife is of greater worth than the finest jewels and gems.  Verse 11 then goes on and explains that these qualities in a wife will cause a husband to have trust and confidence in her and I love how verse 11 ends...."and she will greatly enrich his life" (NLT).  It is my heart's desire to be this kind of wife.  So my focus for the week was how....how do I develop and maintain these precious, life-enriching qualities as a wife? 

In this week's lesson we were given a list of 10 things that this excellent woman is not and right at the top of this list was "She does not rival her husband."  Yikes!  I am a competitive person; I like to win.  And until this week I didn't realize how competitive I am with Jerry.  Whether it's a card game, Wii, or Scrabble, I want to beat him and I take great joy when I do.  I can't even begin to count the number of times we've sat down to play a game and I would say something like this...."Are you ready to lose?" or "Time for me to show you who the winner is."  Then I would giggle, or what my husband calls my evil game laugh.  Unfortunately, this same attitude will often overflow to discussions where we may have differing opinions or point of views.  My thinking has been that this is all in fun or in good spirit but God is showing me that really it isn't, especially if it leaves my husband feeling defeated or second rate.  This isn't noble or excellent. I should be edifying and encouraging to him.  I can't enrich his life if I'm constantly looking to put myself first. That doesn't build trust or confidence or bring gain to Jerry.  It is selfish on my part and that kind of selfishness is so contrary to the description found in Proverbs 31.  Phil 2:3 also states "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant that yourselves".  Jerry is at the top of my list when it comes to others and it is my precious privilege to look out for his interests and well-being (Phil 2:4). I can and will do better in this area.

On Tuesday, our lesson covered Prov 18:22 & Prov 19:14.  I thought I'd share my journal entry for that day:  A wife is a gift from the Lord.  It is the kind of gift that a man should find desirable and look forward to getting.  Almost 28 years ago God gave me to Jerry.  Today I ask God to re-gift me as the wife He created me to be.  May I strive to be the 'Yay it's just what I wanted' kind of gift.

     

Mothers & Sons - Prov 31:1-9

This week I joined an online Bible study through facebook.  We are learning about the Proverbs 31 woman.  I hope to use this blog to summarize each week's teachings and share what I've learned.  And boy, have I learned a lot.  

This first week was interesting because we didn't start at Proverbs 31:10 like I expected.  We started at verse one; what a novel idea to start at the beginning.  The study method is simple:  write down the verses for the day (usually only two), record your observations about the verses, write out applications for the verses, and pray (sometimes I wrote the prayer out).  Simple, but oh so full of impact!

Many times the relationship between mother/daughter and father/son is the emphasis in parenting.  Churches have mother/daughter lunches in May and father/son picnics in June.  Books are written about the influence that fathers have on their boys and that mothers have on their girls.  As a mother of three sons, I don't fit these categories and have often been left with the feeling that my parental influence is minimal.  I have even said to my husband, "I can't teach the boys (fill in the blank) because I'm not the dad, you are."  Talk about letting myself off the hook....yikes!  Sadly though, I can probably find plenty of people who would agree with me, and many of those people would be Christians.  I'm not saying that I want to usurp the authority of my husband or take on the role of spiritual leader in my home.  I do understand the importance of gender in raising children.  

What I am saying is that I have been greatly encouraged by King Lemuel's mother.  She acknowledged the blessing of being a mother to a son (thank you Tammy for that insight!).  She taught him about personal purity, integrity, self-control, leadership, compassion for others, and justice.  She not only taught him these things but she did it in a way that he remembered.  She maximized her opportunities in teaching her son and she took the responsibility seriously.  Her influence in his life is evident.  How do I know?  God saw fit to preserve and record it in Scripture. 

My hope is that I have been an influence in the lives of my sons.  Oh I know I made my fair share of mistakes while raising my three boys.  I wouldn't mind a few do-overs (maybe Staples can make a button for that).  Even though my boys are adults now, I pray that God will continue to give me opportunities to be an influence in their lives.  I will always be their mother so I will always have this wonderful, awesome responsibility.  I want to make the most of it.  I pray that God will also use me to encourage other mothers who are raising boys.     

I told you I learned a lot this week.  I can't wait for next!!