Monday, May 15, 2017

Three Marriages, not your Ordinary Mother or Wife

The Perfect Wife

Proverbs 31:10-31

10 How hard it is to find the perfect wife.  She is worth far more than jewels.  11 Her husband depends on her.  He will never be poor.  12 She does good for her husband all her life.  She never causes him trouble.  13 She is always gathering wool and flax and enjoys making things with her hands.  14 She is like a ship from a faraway place.  She brings home food from everywhere.  15 She wakes up early in the morning, cooks food for her family, and give the servants their share.  16 She looks at land and buys it.  She uses the money she has earned and plants a vineyard.  17 She works very hard.  She is strong and able to do all her work.  18 She works late into the night to make sure her business earns a profit.  19 She maker her own thread and weaves her own cloth.  20 She always give to the poor and helps those who need it.  21 She does not worry about her family when it snows.  She has given them all good, warm clothes.  22 She makes sheets and spreads for the beds, and she wears clothes of fine linen.  23 Her husband is a respected member of the city council, where he meets with the other leaders.  24 She makes clothes and belts and sells them to the merchants.  25 She is a strong person, and people respect her.  She looks to the future with confidence.  26 She speaks with wisdom and teaches others to be loving and kind.  27 She oversees the care of her house. She is never lazy.  28 Her children say good things about her.  Her husband brags about her and says, 29 "There are many good women, but you are the best."  30 Grace and beauty can fool you, but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised.  31 Giver her the reward she deserves.  Praise her in public for what she has done. 

My story:

I first became a mother at the age of 25 when my first husband got a 15 year old girl pregnant.  I was able to watch him grow up from a distance.  In fact, he even spent a night in my home as a teenager.  He never met his dad.  His dad ended up passing away homeless with the cause of death bronchial pneumonia.  I waited until he was an adult to re-enter his life and share a little with him about his dad.  We share a special bond, as he tells me that I am the closest thing to a mom that he has. 

My second time to become a mother came when  I married an amazing dad to 2 children ages 12 and 13.  I treasure being their love mother.  We have enjoyed so many things together and they have both become wonderful adults with children of their own.. I am so happy that they chose to love me back when they didn't have to.  I was widowed and left to do life again in a different and unexpected way. 

Marriage number 3 was the addition of not only an amazing husband but three beautiful adopted children from Guatemala.  Being a wife and mother has been the most rewarding opportunity ever to be given to me.  My husband and I have had all our children come to us unconventionally but all on purpose.  We are a family and for that I am grateful.  I am married to my best friend and he is the most wonderful dad to our children.  We are so thankful for the journey we are on and the path ahead of us.  "Together we are better."

Here is my rendition of the Proverbs 31 woman:

I have a lot of work to do to become a Proverbs 31 woman, but I am trying in a conscious attempt to make a difference with God's help in the lives of those who are in my sphere of influence.  I love my life and those friends and family that are in it.  - 

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