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Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? (Proverbs 31:10, NLT)
I’m writing this Interruption on April 8, and it’s posted to you today, April 16th. Since I’m writing on April 8, I am thinking of my wife’s birthday, which is April 10th.
For those of you who wonder about her age, I always answer such questions with, “She has the beauty of a 25-year-old and the wisdom of a saint.”
This may sound out-of-kilter with today’s culture, but decades ago, when I was single, I prayed about finding a “Proverbs 31” wife. Proverbs 31:10 starts with the question, “Who can find a virtuous wife?”
The Proverb then lists the characteristics of a virtuous wife: her husband has full confidence in her; she brings him good, not harm; she works diligently for the good of the family; she conducts business dealings for the family’s profit; she has compassion for the poor; her children call her blessed; and other men wish that they had married her.
Wow, that’s my wife. By God’s grace, I found her!
Let me give specifics…
- She has endured me for 47 years! This alone puts her in the “Heaven’s Hall of Fame” category.
- She has never ridiculed me nor spoken disrespectfully of me in public, though I deserved it many times.
- She served in the same church, co-laboring with me for 49 years, and no one ever challenged her character, her example, or her love of the Lord!
- She disciples other women. She is probably the best one-to-one discipler that I have watched in action.
- We have a great family with children who love Jesus, primarily because of her faithfulness.
My pastor mentor (John Wilson), who served as a minister in Springfield, Ohio, for over six decades, told me before I was married, “Your ministry will be as successful as your marriage.”
All of the above explains why I love my wife. But there’s more, as what I’ve listed so far emphasizes our work together, and our life has been more than ministry.
So let me give another list of why I love my wife…
- We pray together.
- She gets me and is patient.
- She has an inherent compassion.
- To this day, when I see her, I think, “Wow, I’m married to her!”
Yes, you are reading this Interruption six days after her birthday, but it is never too late to send her a birthday card. (Just remember to enclose a gift card to a restaurant so that she can take me to dinner!)
She’s like that; she loves to share! As the “Proverbs 31” wife description concludes…
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised (Proverbs 31:30, NLT).
Thank you, Lord, for a wonderful wife.