Proverbs 31:10b ~ "Her price is far above rubies."
I love these translations Mrs. George uses:
The Bible in Basic English: "Her price is much higher than jewels."
The American Standard Version: "Her worth is far above rubies."
New American Standard Bible: "Her value is far beyond pearls."
Old Testament Book of Poetry: "Far beyond corals is her worth."
Rubies: Did you know that the ruby is considered to be a unique gem? In fact, large rubies are very rare and surpass diamonds of equal weight in value!
Pearls: Pearl harvesters have to go through 35,000 pearl oysters to find 20 pearls. Only 3 of these pearls are of gem quality!
Coral: These delicate "flower animals" are widely protected (such as in the Great Barrier Reef) and only a few are quality enough to be polished and regarded as precious stones.
Do you notice a pattern here? Each jewel is rare AND valuable. They are difficult to come by and only a few are found. (But they do exist!) This mother's use of imagery must have made her son realize how extraordinary this woman of God would be! If he found her, she would be of "inestimable value"!
I don't know about you, but every once in a while, I like to go into a jewelry store just to "look". I enjoy discovering the latest styles and simply gazing at the beauty of the jewels. My birthstone is a ruby, so I try to find that display case first! I love how the light captures the facets of the stone, making it sparkle and glimmer! Well, "...as God's beautiful woman, we are to be just like that sparkling jewel ~ in our husband's life!"
One of the sweetest compliments the hubs ever gave to me was shortly after we got engaged. (We married later in life ~ I was 29 ~ he was 31.) We were sitting in my small apartment living room talking when I noticed that he kept looking around at the walls and furniture. When I questioned him about it, he said, "Shelly, I've lived alone for almost 13 years. The places I've lived have always had bare walls and were pretty sparse. When I look around and see the pretty pictures on the walls, smell the candles you've lit and hear the quiet music playing, I really feel like I'm at home. You've brought color and music into my life." The hubs usually isn't one to use flowery sentiment, but when he does, hoo, boy! How I love that man!
Mrs. George writes, "I am to supply beauty in the lives of my husband and children as we struggle through life together. I am to light up the home with sparkle no matter how hard times are." Hmm ~ that's one to file into the memory banks, isn't it?
So how do we do it? Here is the list of Mrs. George's "How-To's" of Beauty:
1. Grow in practical skills, such as:
a. Homemaking ~ I have several homemaking blogs I follow ~ one of which is The Pioneer Woman! I absolutely adore Mrs. Ree Drumond! She always has the most incredible, yummiest-looking recipes on her site! She also has a homeschooling section that has suggestions and advice. I like Heritage Schoolhouse for recipes as well. The Nesting Place and The Inspired Room are wonderful sites that give awesome decorating ideas.
b. Money management ~ We need to have a working knowledge of personal finances. This is an area I definately need to work on! I was all to eager to hand over the finances when I got married! Finacial Peace University by Dave Ramsay is a popular class that a lot of churches offer.
c. Time management ~ "Time is the most precious commodity God gives us, and He expects it to be redeemed ~ Colossians 4:5 ~ and used for his purposes. ~ Ephesians 2:10".
2. Grow in emotional stability. In her book, A Woman After God's Own Heart, Mrs. George wrote how the homemaker is the one who determines the general emotional atmosphere under her roof. In other words, we set the tone of our home! Right now, I'm asking myself ~ "Is my home restful? Fun? Loving?" Wow, what a responsibility we have! I now understand how that phrase "If Momma ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!" it isn't just a joke, but a reality! Proverbs also sheds light on the woman who takes this kind of attitude. (Proverbs 12:4, 21:9 and 19, 25:24)
a. Master your tolerance, or endurance. Difficult circumstances and painful times are a part of all our lives. However, we just can't quit or walk away when times get tough! I love that old saying ~ "The grace of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you." Philippians 4:13 is one of the scriptures I claim when things seem insurmountable ~ "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"!
b. Master your temper ~ or the "heat of mind" and passion. Okay, ouch again! This one is my biggest struggles and has been for most of my life. I think the root of it (other than just my plain old sinful nature) is helplessness and inadequacy, but I'm not sure. That's a purty big can of worms to open! (Proverbs verses: 14:30, 19:2, 19:11 and 25:28)
c. Master your tongue. Can I just tell you that my toes are bleeding now? I think this is THE biggest struggle for all of us, and the root of this deadly sin is pride. It's the sin God hates most, according to Proverbs 6:16. (More Proverbs verses: 10:19, 15:28, 16:21 and 24, 31:26).
I'll close this post with a quote from Mrs. George. "Oh, dear one, God, our Master Craftsman, is holding your heart (and mine) in His hands. Will you look into His eyes, see His love for you, and choose to let Him do His purifying work? Will you yield to Him the flaws in your life that inhibit your "fire," your sparkle? Will you ask Him to help you not to succumb to any harmful emotions? And will you do your part to grow in emotional stability and polish your skills? These two traits ~ your character and the skills that reflect that character ~ are so desirable to Him and so valuable to others. Let God work His beauty process in you!"
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