Many Daughters Have Done Well

Today’s Sabbath Thought is going to be a little different than usual. I’d like to talk about something (or, more specifically, someone) who doesn’t get nearly enough credit in my blogs.

See, every Friday night, when I hit “Publish” and Sabbath Thoughts goes live, you see a finished product. What you don’t see are the hours it took me to write it—the late nights and the early mornings, the wrestling with a blank pages, trying to arrange words and phrases just right, scratching them out in frustration and starting over when nothing’s working. But then, that’s the writing process. It comes with the territory.

I only mention all that because there’s something else you don’t see, something that doesn’t come with the territory: my wife. The woman who stays up and waits for me during those long nights, who lovingly proofreads everything I write and catches truckloads of my silly mistakes, who always has some profound new insight to share with me, and who sacrifices the time she’d rather be spending together so I can make Sabbath Thoughts a reality each week.

She does all this, not because she must, but because she is an incredible woman I could never deserve in a million years. She is kind, she is giving, she is loving, and she is out of my league by a hundred thousand miles.

Solomon was inspired to write, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22), and I can say from experience that he was right. When I married my best friend, I obtained quite a lot of favor from God, and I’m realizing that more and more with every passing day. Mary is an absolute wellspring of blessings in my life. Like King Lemuel said,

Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

(Proverbs 31:10-12)

That’s my Mary. Reading through this whole passage, I see her reflected in it again and again. Always giving of herself, always thinking of others, always seeking to prosper our little family in every way she can.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

(Proverbs 31:26-27)

I realize this isn’t the Sabbath Thought most of you were looking for today, but it’s the one I needed to write. It’s been tremendously encouraging and inspiring to hear from so many of you over the years about how much you enjoy reading this blog, but the fact of the matter is, so much of this would be impossible without the loving support and continual inspiration that comes from my amazing wife. I might be the one doing the writing, but that’s far from the only thing that makes Sabbath Thoughts what it is. I know that, and I think it’s only right that you know it, too.

If you have someone who makes your life better just by being in it, this Sabbath would be a great time to let them know how important they are to you. We’re only appointed so many days as we make our way through this earthly pilgrimage—let’s not waste them by holding back the words we really should have been saying all along. If I can quote Lemuel one last time—Mary, “many daughters have done well, but you excel them all” (Proverbs 31:29). Thank you for being my better half.Mary-and-me

Wishing you all a peaceful day of rest and a fruitful week ahead.

Until next time,
Jeremy

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