31 Days of Virtue: Day 27

... to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:5

"Be kind" sounds like such a simple command. It's something we tell children, 'Be kind;' 'Be nice.' Yet, here is Paul reminding adults, specifically women, to be kind. It seems so hard sometimes to be kind to those we don't necessarily get along with. But we need to just grit our teeth, smile, and bear it. No one has ever died from being kind. 

Being kind shows we care. And yes, we should care for those whose attitudes rub us the wrong way. We need to set an example for our children and teach them how to be kind. We don't have to gossip about someone and find out the latest details; we don't have to start an argument over petty, non-important things; and we don't have to have the last words with our husbands. 

Being kind sometimes means doing the smallest thing for someone else: a smile and warm hello to a coworker; being patient with a waitress who wrote down the wrong order; or letting someone with few items check out before you even though you are in a hurry to get home as well. 

Being kind isn't hard; it just takes effort.

Archive of 31 Days of Virtue:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

31 Days of Virtue: Day 3

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. Proverbs 12:4


In the Bible 'virtuous' is often translated as 'noble'. Therefore, this verse could also be read as,
   "A wife of virtue is her husband's crown..."
To be a virtuous woman, we must be the crown of our husbands. A crown. Have you ever compared yourself to a crown? A crown is beautiful, radiant, giving whomever wearing it honor and glory. As a crown to our husbands, we must do the same thing. We praise our husbands. We bring pleasure to our husbands. We make his life as beautiful as we can.


We certainly do not want to be on the other end of the spectrum and be the "decay of his bones." We want to build up our husbands, not tear them down. We want our attitudes and actions to reflect on him in such a way that the community respect and honor him.


The how. How do we be our husband's crown? First and foremost, we pray. It can definitely be hard after a day of crying babies or if you've had a harder day at the office than usual. But we take it one day at a time, and we ask God for help. To be our husband's crown, I think the fruit of the Spirit must come into play here. We need to exude these characteristics. We need to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, gentle, faithful, good, and self-controlled. And the only way to have these fruits and have them show through us, is to have Jesus Christ at the center of our life. 


What it comes down to is this: being completely surrendered to Christ. Because when you are completely surrendered to Christ, you can't be anything other than a crown to your husband. And your worth will be 'far above rubies'. 

Project 31: Faithful Instruction

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26

She is wise.
She is faithful.
She is a teacher.
She is a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt.
She is fun.
She is creative.
She is strong.

She listens.
She loves.
She hugs.
She laughs.
She smiles.
She encourages.

She is my mother.

My mother is like no other I know. I remember growing up that our house was the place to be. My two sisters and I rarely went to a friend's house; they always came over to ours. Our house was fun. Our house was full of love.

As far back as I can remember, she was always the first to rise {unless Daddy was going hunting : ) } and the last to lay down. She cooked, she cleaned, she washed, she picked up, and she still had time to play with us three girls. Even now that all of us are out of the house, she hasn't changed. When we are all able to go home, she cooks, she cleans, she picks up, and she still has time to spend with us.

Her actions are the fruit of the Spirit. She is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. If I can be half the woman she is, my husband will be a lucky man.

I love you, Mom!