Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31:30-31NIV

Today is my wife’s birthday, I’ll tell you how old she is a little later. I went to look for a birthday card and noticed a couple of different things. First, women give their husbands cards more often than men give to their wives. How do I know this? The number of options available. I had 5 options of cards to choose from while there were almost 15 options for the wife to give for her husband.

The second observation bothered me more than the first. The husband’s card was almost totally a  “me” centered card, rather than giving praise to the strength and character of the wife. This is not to take away from the importance of a man expressing how his wife makes him feel. I was looking for a card with the spotlight of adulation focused on the wife and not the perceived benefits for the man.

In contrast to these cards, Solomon wrote Proverbs 31:10-31 which unfolds the specialness of a wife’s character and virtue. For some women, this passage is overwhelming, describing a perfect lady who is almost too good to be true. Let me address this issue with you wives.

I speak PEACE to your heart and mind. God made each of you unique with your own talents and gifts and He knows what He was doing. Be the best person that God made you to be. Some will excel with the crafts of your hands, others will organize and reorganize, others will be gifted in the kitchen, some will be excellent servers to all those in their sphere of influence, some are connectors keeping  love as the warm bond of affection, some are gifted writers, others excel in the marketplace, and some feel most comfortable navigating the home.

Wives, receive the praise that reflects the strength of your passions and talents. Your purity and integrity opens wide the door to connect your husband’s loving trust to your heart. As a wife and possible a mother, you have the hardest job on earth – loving your man and molding your children as the next generation of influencers. You are to be praised for sure.

I mentioned Pam’s birthday to one of her high school friends, this is what she said to me. “Listen, you have a special woman right there. She brings life to everyone she meets. She lights up the room. You have no idea how many people she has helped. She cares about people and they can feel it. You better let her KNOW that she is a special lady.” I absolutely agree. Her evaluations of Pam captures the essence of my wife’s heart. This was also a perfect example of Proverbs 31:31, her works praise her in the gates.

Pam is turning 30 twice today. She is beautiful and loves the Lord with all of her heart. Her serving compassion toward others makes her the closest example to Jesus that I have ever met on earth. Our children are already calling her blessed by incorporating her character quality of hospitality into their own homes. Last night we were privileged by God to share one more sunset together as husband and wife. Pam you still make my heart pitter patter. You are amazing. Happy Birthday to “my wife for life”.

Blessings Love y’all