More Precious Than Jewels

Proverbs poses an interesting question, “An excellent wife who can find?” (31:10). It’s not that she doesn’t exist, but the reality is, she’s hard to find. When a man does finally find her he begins to discover that “she is far more precious than jewels” (31:10). Because of her great value, the husband of an excellent wife praises her (31:28-29). I’m so thankful that I found—or I should say, that God found for me—an excellent wife, one who is definitely worthy of my praise.

So, on this Valentine’s Day, I want to give praise to Shelley, by sharing 14 things I love about her…

1. She’s passionate about her love relationship with God! I have been blessed to watch her grow significantly these past 20 years.

2. She’s beautiful from the inside out. Admittedly, I was first attracted to her outer beauty (and still am!) but soon began to discover that her inner beauty was just as radiant.

3. She’s a wonderful mother who loves her daughters unconditionally and teaches them with her words, but more importantly, with her life.

4. She’s an avid reader who shares what she’s learning with me and our girls.

5. She’s gentle and kind—she diligently seeks to live a life of grace to all she comes into contact with.

6. She’s a great cheerleader. Through the years she has not only encouraged me with her words, but I’ve also watched her do the same with our girls and so many others.

7. She loves and values her family! She loves to invest time with me, our girls, her mom, brother, and grandmother.

8. She’s a gifted writer with a God-given talent. Her writings stir my heart.

9. She’s got a beautiful smile—and it’s very contagious!

10. She’s truly selfless. I’ve watched her time and time again buy the girls something they need with her own birthday or Christmas money rather than buying something for herself that she needs.

11. She loves to take walks—and I love taking walks with her! I love that time to connect with her.

12. She takes great care of herself and her family. She not only exercises to stay healthy, but she also encourages our family to do the same. Oh yes, she prepares healthy meals—and they’re delicious!

13. She’s a great listener, always quick to hear and slow to speak.

14. She’s a gifted, creative and patient teacher, at home with our girls, at church with the youth and adults, and in the ESL class where she has served as a volunteer teacher.

To me, Shelley is definitely far more precious than jewels and my love for her grows deeper and stronger with each passing day. I’m so very blessed and I’m thankful for God’s wonderful gift to me!

Happy Valentine’s Day Shelley! I love you!

  

A Lesson From Seashells

While on a recent trip to Gulf Shores with our family I went for a walk on the beach with my oldest daughter, Haley. As we were walking along I would stop and pick up a seashell. Depending on what the seashell looked like, I would either rinse off the sand and place it in my pocket to keep or I would simply discard it, dropping it back on the seashore. Something occurred to me while doing this: I was only selecting and keeping the seashells that were pretty or those that were whole. I kept discarding the ones that were broken, cracked or not quite as pretty.

As I reflected on this process I had a thought: is this how we treat people? Our culture places great emphasis on beauty. From billboards to magazine covers, from television shows to commercials, it seems outward beauty is most desired. In fact, people go to great lengths to attain the beauty so craved by the world (facelifts, tummy tucks, etc.). In addition, many people have been taught to stay away from those people who aren’t “like us.” In other words, if someone has problems, or is slow or troubled, we dare not associate with them. After all, they’re not quite whole. So, like my seashells, we toss these people aside or simply ignore them.

If we buy into the world’s philosophy of what beauty is, or some erroneous teaching that tells us to disassociate ourselves from people not “like us,” then how will we be able to share the love of Jesus? Perhaps we need to take a good look in the mirror, or better yet, a good look in the Bible. In the Bible we learn that “none is righteous, no not one” (Rom. 3:23). So, lest we think we are whole, and have it all together and that others are beneath us, just remember: apart from God’s righteousness we are broken. In addition, we learn that Jesus came not “to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Lk. 5:32). He invested His life in broken people of His day. He did not pick and choose. He simply loved.