Like pebbles on the shore,
Biblical truth can at times go unnoticed.
Stop.
Pick one up and turn it slowly over in your hand.
You will see things of beauty.
Prov. 31: 11– for me a pebble that required a closer look.
“The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.”
The first time of reading this
I paused
Read again.
Then my brow crinkled and I read yet again
Then again.
And finally I took it to the Lord.
“What does this mean?!”
“Read it again, slowly”
Two phrases jump off the page
Safely trust and no lack
And I get it.
The woman of more worth than rubies
Is trustworthy–
She is about caring for others
She puts her husband
Her family
And those around her
In front of her own wishes, desires, needs.
This husband has no lack not because of $,
But because he knows he can trust his wife to be wise, thoughtful, caring.
This woman of worth
thinks and acts in such a way as to better her family
Unlike the foolish woman of Proverbs 14.
“A wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.” Prov. 14:1
So I reflect:
In what ways am I trustworthy?
How have I broken trust in the past that I might turn away from that?
Where is the brick and mortar that I can build with?
Compassion
Time
Attention to details
Listening and then acting
Prayer
Scripture
Patience
Not just with those around me but with myself
I am not perfect and realize that mistakes are something worth making if I can glean a lesson or a truth from them.
Like the day before Christmas Eve
Our truck dies in front of the bank.
I was reminded how much I am loved by my father-in-law who drove across town just to help me and the four separate people stopping to see if there was anything that could be done while I waited.
God had allowed this and in it I had a choice
How do I react?
What do I do?
I can safely trust in Him to guide me.
And being led not by emotions but by peace I was able to be joyful and flexible and quick to change
The wisdom gleaned here is that trust can be built
And it is worth the effort.
So as I again reflect on this woman of worth I smile,
Yes,
through the Lord I can be trustworthy,
and through complete trust in Him my family shall have no lack–of peace.
patientlyhopeful 