'The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.'
Last night the Lone Ranger & I cuddled up on the couch & hit 'play' on the movie I'd convinced him to watch...20 minutes later tears poured from my eyes as Rocky Balboa surrenders his training (he's getting ready to fight Apollo Creed-Heavy Weight World Champ) to stay by his wife's bedside. Adrian is in a coma after childbirth complications, & her life hangs in the balance. Rocky's never far from her bedside. He holds her hand, writes her poems, & in his slurred speech struggles to read to her. The only time Rocky leaves Adrian is to go to the chapel to pray. He doesn't even see or hold their newborn son...he's waiting for Adrian so they can meet him together! It's heart wrenching. I'm a blubbering mess throughout the fore mentioned scenes, but I manage to cran my neck & sneak a glance of the Lone Ranger. In my feminine mind, I'm swooning over Rocky's devotion. As I glance at my own man, I can't help but wonder how he'd react in that situation. I envision myself glamorously pasty...errr pale...laid out on a bed. I picture my husband holding my limp hand and sobbing at the potential loss of his better half. He'd be devastated (he'd better be if he knows what's good for him). Alas, I digress...as I'm sneaking glances at the Lone Ranger & caught up in the haze of Rocky's romance...like a ton of bricks, it hits me. I've watched this scene play out a dozen times (literally), & every single time I react the same way (swooning over Rocky), but I've missed the point! I've always gotten sidetracked over Rocky's admirable qualities...his faithful & selfless devotion to Adrian...that I've given very little thought to her. This scene really says more about her integrity than it does his. What kind of woman causes a man to behave in such a way? A woman of Noble Character that's what!
A woman worth far more than rubies! Adrian has earned Rocky's devotion. Her character, decency, goodness, & virtues are the reasons that Rocky behaves as he does. Adrian does Rocky good and not harm...and she has for all the days of her life, however much longer that life may be. As this dawns on me, I can't help but relive my little personal scenario in my head...this time not focusing on how my Lone Ranger would react, but considering what kind of devotion I would inspire...what kind of response I'd deserve.
I know that's a long intro for the breakdown of our next two Proverbs 31 verses, but it just seemed fitting. I've lumped verses 11 & 12 together because they both refer to the Proverb 31 Woman's husband...but also because they say so much about her.
**Side Note: If you are single, consider the other male figures in your life. Your father, grandfathers, older brother, or father-figure are impacted by the type of woman that you are. These admonitions and character traits are applicable despite marital status**
Vs. 11: 'The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.'
Webster's defines Trust as this: assured reliance on one's character, ability, & strength; one in which confidence is placed. Proverbs 31:10 spoke of the Proverbs 31 Woman's (P31W's) Noble Character. Integrity such as that elicits trust. A man (husband/father/etc.) can wholly and fully have confidence in a woman who is firmly rooted in her morality & faith. He can completely trust that she will behave & speak in a way that is appropriate & reflects well upon his own character. The P31W's Noble Character impacts & enhances the integrity of the man in her life. A woman who has Noble Character & who is worth far more than rubies adds wealth of all kinds to her husband/father. He has much because he has her. We must also bear in mind that the reciprocal is also true...the absence of Noble Character will result in an absence of Trust.
Vs. 12: 'She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.'
In the Feminist culture that we live in, we very easily & quite frequently do much harm to the male gender. We demasculate & demean him. We rob him of his need to be needed. We scoff at his chivalry. We deem his desire to lead as dominance, & then gripe that he has no initiative. We've stolen his right to be head of our households and have instead made him the doormat. We nag at him to fulfill his honey-do list & then nit-pick the manner in which he does it. We yearn for romance yet sneer at the gentlemanly qualities needed to breed it. Oh yes, my sisters, we do much much harm to the men in our lives. We are women, hear us roar...and cry, and nag, and gripe, and complain. When we lack Noble Character, we most certainly bring our husbands and fathers much harm & precious little good. On the conrtrary, however; if we embrace our calling, our righteous heritage, we can be certain that we will bring good to those we love.
I've bolded & italicized the term Noble Character at least a half dozen times in this post. Sisters, this trait is the stepping off point for the rest of this study. Vs. 11 & 12 hinge on it. If we cultivate Noble Character, we will earn the full Trust of our husbands & fathers, & with it we will bring much good into their lives. The antithesis is equally true...without this integrity we lose their confidence, & we hurt them. This study of the P31W is not about transforming the attitudes of the men in our lives, but is about morphing ourselves into the women that God intended for us to be, & we can only so this by His grace. By becoming P31W, we become women who are worthy of trust...who are deserving of a man who would wait faithfully by our bedsides. I am fairly confident that the more I strive to become a woman of Noble Character, the more devastated my Lone Ranger would be if he lost me.
Application:
I can scarcely imagine that any of us desire to hurt those we love, and so Noble Character must be cultivated...it will require some elbow grease and intentional effort on our part. The following verses will outline very practical traits that the P31W should possess. As we dissect each one & to begin developing those traits within ourselves our Noble Character will begin to emerge. Proverbs 14:1 warns, 'The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.' Without Noble Character, sisters, it is almost certain that we will bring, not only ourselves, but our households to ruin, therefore; let us strive in all ways,in all areas, & with all our might to cultivate such integrity!
