Greetings to you in the lovely name of Jesus Christ our Savior, Redeemer, Healer, Prince of Peace, Lord and Soon and Coming King!
I have been a born-again and Spirit-filled Christian for 37 years. I have been teaching God's Word for 34 years. I love the Word and the God of the Word! Serving God is an honor. Some of my favorite scriptures are these:
Ephesians 2:8,9
"For by Grace are ye saved through Faith and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God; not works, lest any man should boast."
Proverbs 3:5,6
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."
Jeremiah 17:7
"Blessed is the man that Trusts in the Lord, and whose Hope the Lord is."
Come visit us! You will be welcome!
-Love in Jesus,
Jean Ratcliffe
Adult Sunday School/Wednesday Night Teacher
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Love...
Love.
What a powerful word!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”.
Psalms 91:14 “He set his love upon me.”
John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man.”
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear: because fear has torment.”
God’s greatest commandment found in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. “
What is your heart set on? Is it on set on our own desires or on the things of God? Examine yourself. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning or when you have a free afternoon?
What are your passions? Do they derive from selfish motivations or do they come from a Godly nature?
Secondly, God mentions our soul. This is our inner most being. 1 Corinthians 22:19 “Set your soul to seek the Lord. “ That sounds like we have a choice. God does not desire robots. He wants us to turn to him for everything in our lives. An amazing phenomenon is that when we give ourselves to God he gives us back so much more. What he gives us far exceeds what we can offer within ourselves.
Often I believe that people hesitate to give God too much because they will loose themselves. That is such a trick from the Devil. We give God our limitations, sinful nature and filthy rags and then he give us royal robes along with gifts, talents, knowledge and wisdom.
Lastly Jesus mentions our mind the window to our heart and soul. This is the place where our knowledge and thoughts lays, where we process the information given to us during the day, where we make decisions, and future plans.
Through our mind we can let situations affect our heart and soul. What are we entertaining? Are we entertaining doubt, anger, lusts and those things that can harm us or are we entertaining God’s word and those things that are righteous? The very literature we read, the media we view, the conversations we have and our motivations can plant seeds that will harm us or prosper us.
Try to get a picture of what your heart, mind and soul look like today. Is it a reflection of the world or is it a reflection of Jesus? 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Love is the gift that is offered to us first by God through his son Jesus so that we can then love others. The second part of the greatest commandment is Matthew 22:38 it says “ the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Let’s examine ourselves today what are we reflecting?
I John 4:18 “Love with a pure heart.”
- Carolyn Hanneman
What a powerful word!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”.
Psalms 91:14 “He set his love upon me.”
John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man.”
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear: because fear has torment.”
God’s greatest commandment found in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. “
What is your heart set on? Is it on set on our own desires or on the things of God? Examine yourself. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning or when you have a free afternoon?
What are your passions? Do they derive from selfish motivations or do they come from a Godly nature?
Secondly, God mentions our soul. This is our inner most being. 1 Corinthians 22:19 “Set your soul to seek the Lord. “ That sounds like we have a choice. God does not desire robots. He wants us to turn to him for everything in our lives. An amazing phenomenon is that when we give ourselves to God he gives us back so much more. What he gives us far exceeds what we can offer within ourselves.
Often I believe that people hesitate to give God too much because they will loose themselves. That is such a trick from the Devil. We give God our limitations, sinful nature and filthy rags and then he give us royal robes along with gifts, talents, knowledge and wisdom.
Lastly Jesus mentions our mind the window to our heart and soul. This is the place where our knowledge and thoughts lays, where we process the information given to us during the day, where we make decisions, and future plans.
Through our mind we can let situations affect our heart and soul. What are we entertaining? Are we entertaining doubt, anger, lusts and those things that can harm us or are we entertaining God’s word and those things that are righteous? The very literature we read, the media we view, the conversations we have and our motivations can plant seeds that will harm us or prosper us.
Try to get a picture of what your heart, mind and soul look like today. Is it a reflection of the world or is it a reflection of Jesus? 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Love is the gift that is offered to us first by God through his son Jesus so that we can then love others. The second part of the greatest commandment is Matthew 22:38 it says “ the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Let’s examine ourselves today what are we reflecting?
I John 4:18 “Love with a pure heart.”
- Carolyn Hanneman
Sunday, May 10, 2009
JUST AS I AM...
A couple of months back, I was asked to begin teaching a group of middle school kids from the Radford area as part of a ministry group our church does on Tuesday nights. The previous Pastor did a fantastic job week after week giving the kids a series of messages that pertained to the times and culture they currently live in. In my spirit, however, I felt a burden that we needed to teach these kids about the most simplistic, yet most wonderful part of our faith . . . Jesus Christ.
I went back to a time when, as a boy, I received Christ. I was maybe 6 or 7 (I really don’t remember), but I do remember what song was playing that night at church. A simple hymn called Just As I Am. The music was soft and inviting and the words were simple, yet compelled my heart to go forward toward the altar. I heard that song many times as a boy and each time I can remember feeling a need to draw closer to Him.
This song has a note of importance as to its origin. I found this on the internet in several places. The song was written by Miss Charlotte Elliott back in the 1800s:
“Miss Charlotte Elliott was visiting some friends in the West End of London, and there met the eminent minister, César Malan. While seated at supper, the minister said he hoped that she was a Christian. She took offense at this, and replied that she would rather not discuss that question. Dr. Malan said that he was sorry if had offended her, that he always liked to speak a word for his Master, and that he hoped that the young lady would some day become a worker for Christ. When they met again at the home of a mutual friend, three weeks later, Miss Elliott told the minister that ever since he had spoken to her she had been trying to find her Savior, and that she now wished him to tell her how to come to Christ. “Just come to him as you are,” Dr. Malan said. This she did, and went away rejoicing. Shortly afterward she wrote this hymn.”
A couple of weeks before my first lesson with these kids, I found in my dad’s collection of CDs one from a Mennonite Choir. One of the songs was “Just As I Am”. I listened to that CD several times on a business trip to Nashville. Once again, I found myself wanting to draw closer to Him. As I prayed, what was revealed to my spirit was both simple and beautiful. God was telling me to teach these kids to come to Him just as they are.
Today’s generation is bombarded with messages from their home, school and from society that are simply designed to pull them away from God and His standards set in the Bible. They feel that they are unworthy of love or acceptance by God because they are judged for the clothes they wear, the money they have (or lack), their social status or by sinful acts they have committed openly and behind closed doors. Once judgment has been passed by Christians and non-Christians alike, they don’t feel worthy. Much like the story of Charlotte Elliott, they take offense to anyone who genuinely cares for them and is concerned about their spiritual well being. How do we reach them?
When we speak to them about Christ’s love for them, read John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The world includes all of us . . . the good, the bad and the ugly. It includes you, me and all of those who walk the Earth. The key part of this scripture is WHOSOEVER believes in Him . . . any of us, no matter how far from God we are or how unworthy we look in the eyes of others, we can ask Jesus into our hearts. How do we come to Him? . . . Just as we are!
-Pastor Chris Blackburn
Children's Pastor
I went back to a time when, as a boy, I received Christ. I was maybe 6 or 7 (I really don’t remember), but I do remember what song was playing that night at church. A simple hymn called Just As I Am. The music was soft and inviting and the words were simple, yet compelled my heart to go forward toward the altar. I heard that song many times as a boy and each time I can remember feeling a need to draw closer to Him.
This song has a note of importance as to its origin. I found this on the internet in several places. The song was written by Miss Charlotte Elliott back in the 1800s:
“Miss Charlotte Elliott was visiting some friends in the West End of London, and there met the eminent minister, César Malan. While seated at supper, the minister said he hoped that she was a Christian. She took offense at this, and replied that she would rather not discuss that question. Dr. Malan said that he was sorry if had offended her, that he always liked to speak a word for his Master, and that he hoped that the young lady would some day become a worker for Christ. When they met again at the home of a mutual friend, three weeks later, Miss Elliott told the minister that ever since he had spoken to her she had been trying to find her Savior, and that she now wished him to tell her how to come to Christ. “Just come to him as you are,” Dr. Malan said. This she did, and went away rejoicing. Shortly afterward she wrote this hymn.”
A couple of weeks before my first lesson with these kids, I found in my dad’s collection of CDs one from a Mennonite Choir. One of the songs was “Just As I Am”. I listened to that CD several times on a business trip to Nashville. Once again, I found myself wanting to draw closer to Him. As I prayed, what was revealed to my spirit was both simple and beautiful. God was telling me to teach these kids to come to Him just as they are.
Today’s generation is bombarded with messages from their home, school and from society that are simply designed to pull them away from God and His standards set in the Bible. They feel that they are unworthy of love or acceptance by God because they are judged for the clothes they wear, the money they have (or lack), their social status or by sinful acts they have committed openly and behind closed doors. Once judgment has been passed by Christians and non-Christians alike, they don’t feel worthy. Much like the story of Charlotte Elliott, they take offense to anyone who genuinely cares for them and is concerned about their spiritual well being. How do we reach them?
When we speak to them about Christ’s love for them, read John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The world includes all of us . . . the good, the bad and the ugly. It includes you, me and all of those who walk the Earth. The key part of this scripture is WHOSOEVER believes in Him . . . any of us, no matter how far from God we are or how unworthy we look in the eyes of others, we can ask Jesus into our hearts. How do we come to Him? . . . Just as we are!
-Pastor Chris Blackburn
Children's Pastor
Thursday, May 7, 2009
True Dependence...
Dependence is a strange thing. As a baby I was totally dependent upon my parents. When I cried out, they knew exactly what I needed. Through my childhood, I never thought of what I was going to eat or wear, it was always provided before I asked. Even through my early adult life, I leaned upon my parents a lot. Relying on them came natural. As a baby I had no choice, but as I grew, I still felt like I needed them. Now I have children of my own that rely totally upon me. They may not have everything they want, but everything they need will be provided. As a father that is my job, I am their provider.
I have a heavenly Father who is just as eager to provide for me. Yet, a lot of times, I do not allow Him to. Even though He tells me in His word that He will provide all my needs according to His riches and glory, I still don't put my trust in Him. He promises to give me everything I need for life and godliness, yet I seek out my own way. Why is it so hard to become dependent upon a Holy God, to let go of what I think is best?
Let me tell you the story of a ninety year old patient of mine. She is legally blind, lives alone in a large farm house in the middle of Bland. She rarely has company that stays any length of time. Helplessly, she spends her time thinking or watching the dim figures on her television. On my last visit she told me of a time in her life that she wanted so desperately die. Sick and miserable, she cried out to God, “God, with you everything is possible and I am nothing without You.” Repeating this phrase aloud over and over in an empty room, she felt God. In her darkest moment she had the greatest revelation. God is everything, and she is nothing without Him. Simple, yet the last thing I would have thought to say. That is true dependence and trust. Just as a baby crying for his mother's embrace, she cried out to her heavenly Father. True Dependence! Simple Dependence.
-Tim Ratcliff
I have a heavenly Father who is just as eager to provide for me. Yet, a lot of times, I do not allow Him to. Even though He tells me in His word that He will provide all my needs according to His riches and glory, I still don't put my trust in Him. He promises to give me everything I need for life and godliness, yet I seek out my own way. Why is it so hard to become dependent upon a Holy God, to let go of what I think is best?
Let me tell you the story of a ninety year old patient of mine. She is legally blind, lives alone in a large farm house in the middle of Bland. She rarely has company that stays any length of time. Helplessly, she spends her time thinking or watching the dim figures on her television. On my last visit she told me of a time in her life that she wanted so desperately die. Sick and miserable, she cried out to God, “God, with you everything is possible and I am nothing without You.” Repeating this phrase aloud over and over in an empty room, she felt God. In her darkest moment she had the greatest revelation. God is everything, and she is nothing without Him. Simple, yet the last thing I would have thought to say. That is true dependence and trust. Just as a baby crying for his mother's embrace, she cried out to her heavenly Father. True Dependence! Simple Dependence.
-Tim Ratcliff
Monday, May 4, 2009
Living Stones
In the New Testament, there are many references to the body of Christ. Peter, however, brings new insight into just how this body of believers should look and function by introducing a different analogy. In the book of 1st Peter, Chapter 2, beginning in verse 5, he calls us “living stones”. Every believer is to “come…and be built into a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ” (Amplified Bible). In this same chapter, Jesus Christ is referred to as a “Living Stone” and a “chief Cornerstone”(v. 5-6). Hegoes before us and shows us how to be what God wants us to be: Living Stones. And as always, Christ is not just an example, but also our foundation, the main Cornerstone (v. 7).
As stones, we stand beside one another to create one unified wall of the sanctuary that is the body of Christ, the body of believers. We are under, over, behind, in front of, and next to each other for protection and support. Other than Christ, our Cornerstone, no one stone is any more important than any of the other stones in the wall. Each has a role to play in creating that special, holy, spiritual place that we have when we come together for obedient and loving worship, service, and ministry (Eph. 2:5-7). It is a place that only exists among true believers who are all trusting only in Jesus Christ as Savior and living with Him daily as their Lord. In this spiritual place of unity, we see the life change and growth that come from each person presenting himself and herself to God as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1-2). One thing of particular interest in the 2nd chapter of 1stPeter is the dual role we have been given. Not only are we the stones that come together to create a building where sacrifices are offered to God, but we are also the priests who offer those sacrifices (v. 2 and 2 Cor. 5:17-18).
If you think generally about what a living stone or a wall of living stones might be like, there really is no earthly comparison, but thanks to the prevalence of computer animation in our culture, we can easily imagine it: the wall looks like a normal stone wall except that there are no mosses or weeds growing on or between the rocks. Being a living wall, the give and take between stones prevents the weeds (strife) that often come between normal dead (inanimate) stones and there is too much activity on and within each stone for moss and fungus (apathy, self-absorption) to get a foothold. If you watch from afar, you can see that the wall doesn’t stay in one place but moves as needed to gain more stones (believers). In this way, the wall is always growing because the number of stones is always increasing. Also, faces appear on each stone when it is that stone’s turn to take a lead role and then the faces disappear once that particular assignment has been fulfilled. In addition, the wall is fluid because the stones, in turn, move to the center of the sanctuary to either receive ministry from the other stones, or to minister to the other stones that are present. Everyone takes a turn in both roles (1 Cor. 12).
Taken altogether, this is a powerful image that should lead each of us to ask the following questions: Am I truly offering myself to God as a living sacrifice? Are there weeds that need to be pulled or moss that needs to be scrubbed off? Am I fulfilling the role that He has for me in the wall, the church, the world?
-Jenny Greene
As stones, we stand beside one another to create one unified wall of the sanctuary that is the body of Christ, the body of believers. We are under, over, behind, in front of, and next to each other for protection and support. Other than Christ, our Cornerstone, no one stone is any more important than any of the other stones in the wall. Each has a role to play in creating that special, holy, spiritual place that we have when we come together for obedient and loving worship, service, and ministry (Eph. 2:5-7). It is a place that only exists among true believers who are all trusting only in Jesus Christ as Savior and living with Him daily as their Lord. In this spiritual place of unity, we see the life change and growth that come from each person presenting himself and herself to God as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1-2). One thing of particular interest in the 2nd chapter of 1stPeter is the dual role we have been given. Not only are we the stones that come together to create a building where sacrifices are offered to God, but we are also the priests who offer those sacrifices (v. 2 and 2 Cor. 5:17-18).
If you think generally about what a living stone or a wall of living stones might be like, there really is no earthly comparison, but thanks to the prevalence of computer animation in our culture, we can easily imagine it: the wall looks like a normal stone wall except that there are no mosses or weeds growing on or between the rocks. Being a living wall, the give and take between stones prevents the weeds (strife) that often come between normal dead (inanimate) stones and there is too much activity on and within each stone for moss and fungus (apathy, self-absorption) to get a foothold. If you watch from afar, you can see that the wall doesn’t stay in one place but moves as needed to gain more stones (believers). In this way, the wall is always growing because the number of stones is always increasing. Also, faces appear on each stone when it is that stone’s turn to take a lead role and then the faces disappear once that particular assignment has been fulfilled. In addition, the wall is fluid because the stones, in turn, move to the center of the sanctuary to either receive ministry from the other stones, or to minister to the other stones that are present. Everyone takes a turn in both roles (1 Cor. 12).
Taken altogether, this is a powerful image that should lead each of us to ask the following questions: Am I truly offering myself to God as a living sacrifice? Are there weeds that need to be pulled or moss that needs to be scrubbed off? Am I fulfilling the role that He has for me in the wall, the church, the world?
-Jenny Greene
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Terence Rose this Sunday
Just to let everyone know Pastor Terence Rose will be ministering in the 10:30 service on Sunday May 3rd. We can't wait to hear what the Lord is saying to our Church. Let everyone know.
Moanhood Or Motherhood?... Part 2
Part 1
There are always two ways to look at things. Many times when I exercise I start thinking, “I feel awful. My legs are burning. I can hardly breath. I feel like stopping.” With every second I grow more tired and soon feel completely drained. The fact is everything I’m feeling is truth. However, when I “gird up my mind” I remember how good I’ll feel afterwards and that 30 minutes isn’t that long. “I’ve only got 15 more minutes to go. I’m breathing really well now, and hey, this is easy. I feel great. I’ll race anyone. I’m going to pick up my pace. Wow, look at me go!” There is as much truth in this second thought process and I injected myself with a bunch of energy and ended up with a full tank.
You may get up in the morning, sigh and drag yourself to the coffee pot confessing, “I was up with the baby for four solid hours last night. I can’t make it through today.” This may be true, but the other side of the story is that you had four good hours of sleep. We can feel just as good as we can feel bad.
Thinking negatively involves the “me” word. It makes one too introspective. If you are feeling depressed, go and do something for someone else. You’ll soon forget about your own problems.
The negative “so called” facts are not truth at all. They are the enemy’s poisonous darts. To contemplate them digs their venom deeper into your mind. The truth is: we are new creatures in Christ. We are to crucify the “flesh man” and live by the Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit such as patience and long-suffering are now our new character traits. In Christ we can bear way more than the level the devil deceives us into thinking we can handle.
The second line of Proverbs 31:10 reads, “The heart of her husband trusts in her so that he has no lack of gain.” The New Living Translation reads, “She will greatly enrich his life.” How can we enrich our husbands when our own lives are anything but enriched? We can’t give from a drained pot. Often we feel empty and exhausted, not because of our tedious workload so much as the state of our mental reflections. How can a husband feel enriched if his wife is not contended and happy? How can a husband have “no need of gain” if his wife isn’t happy and contented? If we greet him at the door with a tired expression, a list of complaints, and quickly pass off all the children to him, his welcome home will not be very enriching. It may make him want to retreat! Home should be a solace from the worry and stress with which the world assails him. It should be a place of enriching, a gas station to fill his tank before venturing back into his world of business and stress. Our homes should be an oasis where our husband can take a cool drink of the water of peace, love and laughter. We should meet him at the door with a bright smile, a warm welcome, and with a cheery atmosphere pervading the home. If he asks how our day was, and we remember how Suzie cut off her little sister’s hair or how the baby spread the surprise in his diaper like peanut butter around the crib or I had a really rough day at work we might feel compelled to say it was a “bad day”. But wait a second! Look at it this way. There were no major accidents. We are all still alive and breathing. Suzie did really well at her reading lesson and Johnny picked some weeds from the garden and said I was a “beaubibul laby” you prayed and ministered to a co-worker. It was a lovely day. Come to think of it, it was a great day!
When the atmosphere of our home is filled with optimism, our husband and children will feel they can do anything. The Proverbs 31 woman “opens her mouth with wisdom and the law of kindness is on her tongue.” As hormonal creatures, we women can sometimes become so emotionally pent up that when our husbands come home we vomit our feelings all over them before they have a chance to take off their coats. We were made to be our husbands’ helpmeets. We were made to complete them and enrich their lives. God did not create man to be the woman’s emotional counselor or hormonal dartboard. The more we press into God and think on the word, the less we will be inclined to emotionally regurgitate. Spurting out a bunch of negative goo gah is not opening our mouths in wisdom. Nor is it kind. It is like serving our husbands a glass of gravel instead of giving them a refreshing drink of happiness.
Men are not emotional sorts and just don’t get the problem. My friend told me how she told her husband that she was feeling “out of sorts.” He replied, “Don’t feel out of sorts.” This reply was the right answer but not the one she wanted to hear. Men are wired differently so when our skies look gray we need to go to God first and then maybe call a close girlfriend in Christ who will lend a listening ear.
Proverbs 31 continues with its description of the able woman. “She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms… she extends her hand to the poor. Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy…strength and dignity are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come… she watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
A hardworking woman doesn’t have time to waste in negative contemplation. She has more important things pressing on her mind. If we are truly busy we won’t have time to stop and moan. I can’t picture Mother Theresa complaining about how tired she was or turning away another child.
I love the way the curtains draw on the “able” woman. “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” The Hebrew word for “praises” is “halal”. It means “to shine, to make a show, to boast, to rave, to glorify, to make renown. The root of this word has the idea of radiance.” Are we worthy of such acclamation?
Let us take on a spirit of rejoicing and do away with negative gloom. We will then be free to be ‘able’ women whose value is above jewels.
-Edith Osterbauer
There are always two ways to look at things. Many times when I exercise I start thinking, “I feel awful. My legs are burning. I can hardly breath. I feel like stopping.” With every second I grow more tired and soon feel completely drained. The fact is everything I’m feeling is truth. However, when I “gird up my mind” I remember how good I’ll feel afterwards and that 30 minutes isn’t that long. “I’ve only got 15 more minutes to go. I’m breathing really well now, and hey, this is easy. I feel great. I’ll race anyone. I’m going to pick up my pace. Wow, look at me go!” There is as much truth in this second thought process and I injected myself with a bunch of energy and ended up with a full tank.
You may get up in the morning, sigh and drag yourself to the coffee pot confessing, “I was up with the baby for four solid hours last night. I can’t make it through today.” This may be true, but the other side of the story is that you had four good hours of sleep. We can feel just as good as we can feel bad.
Thinking negatively involves the “me” word. It makes one too introspective. If you are feeling depressed, go and do something for someone else. You’ll soon forget about your own problems.
The negative “so called” facts are not truth at all. They are the enemy’s poisonous darts. To contemplate them digs their venom deeper into your mind. The truth is: we are new creatures in Christ. We are to crucify the “flesh man” and live by the Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit such as patience and long-suffering are now our new character traits. In Christ we can bear way more than the level the devil deceives us into thinking we can handle.
The second line of Proverbs 31:10 reads, “The heart of her husband trusts in her so that he has no lack of gain.” The New Living Translation reads, “She will greatly enrich his life.” How can we enrich our husbands when our own lives are anything but enriched? We can’t give from a drained pot. Often we feel empty and exhausted, not because of our tedious workload so much as the state of our mental reflections. How can a husband feel enriched if his wife is not contended and happy? How can a husband have “no need of gain” if his wife isn’t happy and contented? If we greet him at the door with a tired expression, a list of complaints, and quickly pass off all the children to him, his welcome home will not be very enriching. It may make him want to retreat! Home should be a solace from the worry and stress with which the world assails him. It should be a place of enriching, a gas station to fill his tank before venturing back into his world of business and stress. Our homes should be an oasis where our husband can take a cool drink of the water of peace, love and laughter. We should meet him at the door with a bright smile, a warm welcome, and with a cheery atmosphere pervading the home. If he asks how our day was, and we remember how Suzie cut off her little sister’s hair or how the baby spread the surprise in his diaper like peanut butter around the crib or I had a really rough day at work we might feel compelled to say it was a “bad day”. But wait a second! Look at it this way. There were no major accidents. We are all still alive and breathing. Suzie did really well at her reading lesson and Johnny picked some weeds from the garden and said I was a “beaubibul laby” you prayed and ministered to a co-worker. It was a lovely day. Come to think of it, it was a great day!
When the atmosphere of our home is filled with optimism, our husband and children will feel they can do anything. The Proverbs 31 woman “opens her mouth with wisdom and the law of kindness is on her tongue.” As hormonal creatures, we women can sometimes become so emotionally pent up that when our husbands come home we vomit our feelings all over them before they have a chance to take off their coats. We were made to be our husbands’ helpmeets. We were made to complete them and enrich their lives. God did not create man to be the woman’s emotional counselor or hormonal dartboard. The more we press into God and think on the word, the less we will be inclined to emotionally regurgitate. Spurting out a bunch of negative goo gah is not opening our mouths in wisdom. Nor is it kind. It is like serving our husbands a glass of gravel instead of giving them a refreshing drink of happiness.
Men are not emotional sorts and just don’t get the problem. My friend told me how she told her husband that she was feeling “out of sorts.” He replied, “Don’t feel out of sorts.” This reply was the right answer but not the one she wanted to hear. Men are wired differently so when our skies look gray we need to go to God first and then maybe call a close girlfriend in Christ who will lend a listening ear.
Proverbs 31 continues with its description of the able woman. “She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms… she extends her hand to the poor. Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy…strength and dignity are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come… she watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
A hardworking woman doesn’t have time to waste in negative contemplation. She has more important things pressing on her mind. If we are truly busy we won’t have time to stop and moan. I can’t picture Mother Theresa complaining about how tired she was or turning away another child.
I love the way the curtains draw on the “able” woman. “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” The Hebrew word for “praises” is “halal”. It means “to shine, to make a show, to boast, to rave, to glorify, to make renown. The root of this word has the idea of radiance.” Are we worthy of such acclamation?
Let us take on a spirit of rejoicing and do away with negative gloom. We will then be free to be ‘able’ women whose value is above jewels.
-Edith Osterbauer
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