I never thought of this before, but in the book of Wisdom, God presents the very last chapter to us through King Lemuel….because of the influence of aMOTHER.

How many heartfelt words does a mother speak to her children over the span of her life? ……..And how many times does a mother feel like the words she speaks are just going out into dead space…..not falling on receptive ears? We must speak them no matter what it feels like for we have no idea how or when God will use them. How many tears does a mother shed because of her children? …………From thoughts of what life will bring, to the choices they will make, to the hurts they will experience……to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ….being to them what it has been to us. Let’s see what a godly King was taught by his very own mother. Look carefully at how it shaped his life and what he desired to find in a wife. V: 10-18, 20, 25-31

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 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.

She seeks wool and flax and willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships; she brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household. She considers a field and buys it; for her profits she plants a vineyard.

  She girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night. She extends her hand to the poor; yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.”

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.

For Today: I’ve read this before; but it was truly new to me today. This young man’s mother, through her life and testimony, showed him exactly what he wanted to find in a wife for himself….and it is so beautiful. It isn’t the most gorgeous woman in town, or the one with the best education. It isn’t the skinniest or most fashionable….it is a woman with the characteristics and heart of his very own mother. A mother’s calling isn’t glamorous but it is about something so much more rewarding.

A godly wife and mother is a servant. Her ‘work’ does not generate a paycheck, but it does generate stability and warmth, comfort, and belonging. She is wise, kind, loving, steadfast, available, dependable, and strong. She is the glue that mends hearts, and the arrow that helps point the way. She is willing to look past the here and now and her own needs to see how great a calling God has given her. Her devotion and love lifts up her husband and makes him proud of who she is….and proud that she is his. Her love and devotion to her children provide them with what God designed for her to be the giver of: TENDERNESS. And one day, and in many, many little ways throughout each day, her reward is and will great. Her children arise because she was the mother who loved them through thick and thin….and they call her blessed. Her reward IS seeing the ‘fruit of her hands’….a strong family unit that she is such a key part of….The life of her husband, and the life of her children will praise her… in the gates, and wherever they are.

How can we as women, ever think there is a higher calling than this? How can we think that greater satisfaction can be found anywhere else?

Praise God we are given the highest, best, and most significant job in the world. If someone calls you wife and mother….you’ve got it all.