Far Above Jewels

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels?" Proverbs 31: 10 NASB

I love the description of the wife in Proverbs 31.  This Proverb is an exaltation and honor to womanhood and the capable wife.  I believe that God inspired the writer to describe this wife's worth as far above jewels because He knew that women get this description.  We love jewels. We love bling. We understand that it is an honor to be compared to something rare and precious.

It's so inspiring to know that doing seven loads of laundry and changing stinky diapers can give me worth.  Society has tried so hard to diminish the value of the stay-at-home mom.  (We've all heard about the girl who is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen!)  Yet God's Word serves as a reminder that there is a special role for the wife in the home.  It's hard.  It involves sleepless nights.  It involves community service.  It involves good money management skills.  It involves an entrepreneur's spirit.  And it requires energy.  But the Bible says that this job is worth more than precious jewels.

I've had to learn that the salaries posted on job boards are meaningless.  I can earn a set amount of money and be of some worth to a company or employer.  But my worth to my husband and children is more than the value of precious jewels if I can fulfill my duty as wife and mother.  I'm thinking that being a salaried professional doesn't sound so great when I can be a rare and precious jewel as a wife.