An Excellent Wife, Who Can Find?

I have a new motto:

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels (I like the translation that says "rubies" better, they're pretty). The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. She looks for wool and flax, and works with her hands in delight. She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar. She rises also while it is still night, and gives food to her household, and portions to her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vine-yard. She girds herself with strength (I like this version better than "loins," loins seem less feminine), and makes her arms strong. She senses that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor; and she stretches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excell them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Giver her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."
(Proverbs 31:10-31)

"Ambitious" you say? You bet your britches!!
You ask, "But, Lela, you aren't even married yet! You don't even have a potential suitor! Why are you worrying about being an excellent wife at this early time??"

I ask you, did you SEE everything the excellent wife does? Did you SEE how capable and well-learned she is?? I don't think I'll become her in the next TWENTY YEARS, let alone however long it takes before I get married... let alone waiting to start until I DO get married. How imprudent it would be to spurn these wonderful, God-given years of single leisure-time by not "girding myself" and making ready!!

How UN-excellent a wife I would make my poor future husband if I did not start readying myself now; if I did not start "doing him good and not evil ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE" NOW!! Besides, do you not suppose I could make my parents an excellent daughter by starting practice up now? How much worth would there be in expediting the skills portrayed in the Excellent Wife for my own family right now!

Ambitious, yes... but of such tremendous worth: far above rubies.

Again you say, "But Lela! Think of yourself! Think of your education! You could be going to school, starting a career, not mooching off your parents income!"

LOOK at that passage of scripture. Just look at what an excellent wife is! She is, by no means, unlearned or uneducated. She by no means is mooching off her husband. She's ENRICHING HIS LIFE TEN-FOLD. I ask you, how much money does a person spend "educating" themselves? Who does that money profit? What exactly are these "careers" young women are readying themselves for? Who does it profit? What can I learn from a professor in a class-room that I cannot teach myself? What can I learn from a book bought in a community-college bookstore, at ten times the price, that I cannot learn from a book, chosen by MYSELF, from a book distributor of my own choosing, read on my own terms?

What can I learn about finances in a college atmosphere that I cannot learn by taking over the grocery budget for my family? What can I learn from a college course in nutrition that I cannot learn from a good nutritional cookbook?

(steps down off soap-box; puts soap-box back in storage shed)

Now. College definitely has it's place and purpose. I'm not saying that it's inherrantly evil... exactly. But it is touted as FUNDAMENTAL to "good society." And that is plain wrong. It isn't fundamental. It is a privelege. It isn't necessary. It is a choice.

I think that if a person has saved up all their pennies and wishes to be a doctor... well then the place to go is college. If you want something you can't get without a SPECIFIC degree, then you should go to college and acquire that degree and go out and get it. But this whole modern belief that any ol' person who has no idea what they want, well they all need to go to college, college is the next step, college is the only way to be somebody... that's bogus.

I actually didn't start this with a rant about college in mind... this has really become a ramble.

I want to be like the Proverbs 31 Woman. I think I can do that from my position at home, under my father's authority, without "higher education" - but not without educating myself in the ways of God or in the ways that God would have me educate myself.