Family
Corner:
You Are the Only One
You are the only one who can love your
husband and kids the way they most desire to be loved because they deeply
desire to be loved by you. You are the only one that can meet their needs in a
specific, nurturing, you-are-their-mom (or his wife). You are the only one that
toasts their banana bread just the way they like it. Your snuggle is just cuddly
enough, and your arms are the ones they want wrapped around them when it’s all
said and done. Not only are you the only one, you are the one God chose for the job. And funny enough,
you handpicked it.
Back in the dreamy days, you know before
the reality of the marriage commitment sunk in and before I had to sleep with
one eye open and one to three kids in the bed with us, I emphatically said my
husband was the only one for me. I wrote sappy poems about it, rehearsed it in
my mind, and even told his parents it would be so, even before he had realized
it for himself.
The part that I have had to chew on, since
hearing of this idea from my friend, is that I was actually the only one for
someone else. You know – that deeply cherished sort of thing. The thought is
hard for many women to believe about themselves (myself included); it is
something I have dismissed for years as untrue. I thought being cherished and
cherishing your loved ones in that way was sort of a fairytale, something you
read in a book, but wasn’t real. Those relationships don’t really exist. God’s
word clearly shows evidence otherwise. The verses that most stir up this truth
for me are found in Proverbs 31:10-11, 27-30 (NKJV). Verse 10 sets the stage. “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her
price is far above rubies.”
To be anywhere near virtuous for me is a
thrill; not to mention a deep longing desire God planted in my heart as a
child. It’s more than pretty dresses, perfect ringlets, and tea parties –
though I tried that out for a few years not so long ago. It is valued by the
people that matter most to you this side of heaven so greatly that King Lemuel’s
mom spent 21 verses outlining it.
You are the only one. “The heart of her husband does safely trust
in her, so that he shall have no lack of gain.” This verse has given me a distant finish line
to run for since it is the explanation of what I desire to be for my husband, a
trustworthy and loyal companion who protects my husband’s reputation, who nurtures his needs physically,
emotionally, spiritually, and who meets the needs deepest to his heart for
himself, his family, and his home.
Proverbs 31:27-28 echoes this idea, “She looks well to the ways of her household,
and eats not the bread of idleness. Her
children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”
Doesn’t that speak to the very heart of
our desires? To be the kind of woman whose family deeply trusts her to care for
them, and in return, they love her for it.
You are the only one. I am the only one.
What are we waiting for?
C. Brenner
“Many daughters have
done virtuously, nobly and well (with the strength of character that is
steadfast in goodness) but you excel them all.
Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain (because it is not
lasting), but the woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she
shall be praised!”
Proverbs
31:29 and 30 (Amplified)
The model woman described in Proverbs is
a portrait of ideal womanhood. The focus
of this portrait is a woman’s relationship with God, not her specific abilities
or marital status. The Proverbs 31 woman
realizes that regardless of her natural talents or acquired skills, or all her
accomplishments, her strength comes from God.
Who is a virtuous woman today? This Proverb tells you that it is the woman
who puts God first. The ideal woman
should encourage all women everywhere.
Cultures change, but this woman’s God-inspired character still shines
brightly across the centuries.
Selected