Women, Wives, be encouraged

Following on from Galatians 5, where it talks of wives submitting to their husbands, as the church submits to Christ, while husbands are to Love their wives as Christ loves the church, this proverb is of great interest to me.

For those of you who flinched when you saw the word 'submit' above, I urge you to think again. God has given us a plan for marriage that we Christians should follow and yet seem woefully ignorant of.

Wives, can you imagine being loved by your husband as Christ loves the church? How amazing would that be? and how much of a challenge is it for us husbands?! but I believe that it more like the version of marriage we should be aiming for.

Submitting to Christ leads to freedom, and I think so should submitting to your husband. We are, after all, always saying that God's kingdom is upside-down.

If you are still sceptical, and I may not have explained my thoughts fully enough, this proverb tells us what a wife can do, including providing for family, making independent decisions and business transactions!

Proverbs 31:10-24

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.