Wise Words
By Patricia Chadwick Proverbs 31:26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything she says. (NLT) This verse is taken from the chapter of Proverbs that is a day-in-the life of a super-woman: The Proverbs 31 Woman. This lady was the ultimate example of the perfect woman. I used to shy away from this chapter, figuring that I could never measure up. As I grew in the Lord, I began to take another look at the Proverbs 31 Woman. I decided that God didn't put her in the Bible to show me what a failure I was, but to give me an example to strive after. As I read over Proberbs 31, verse 26 jumped out at me. "When she speaks her words are wise..." So this woman was wise. What is wisdom anyway? The best definition of wisdom that I ever found was a very simple explanation. Wisdom is making daily choices to follow God's ways. God wants us to make those daily choices and encourage others to do so too. The next part of the verse elaborates on the fact that the Proverbs 31 Woman was wise."...and kindness is the rule for everything she says." She was so wise that she made sure that everything that came out of her mouth was based on being kind to others. Elizabeth of Hungary was a thirteenth century queen who was concerned for the needs of the sick and the poor. As a young girl she displayed a passion for helping people. Although she was Hungarian royalty and eventually married King Louis IV of France, she did not live the oppulent lifestyle of the wealthy, but devoted her life to works of charity. She could have made daily choices to please herself, but instead she chose to be wise and base her choices on following God's ways. Elizabeth was known also for her kind words to the suffering. While her husband was away fighting in the Crusades, Elizabeth built a hospital at the foot of her castle and spent her days nursing the sick back to health and encouraging them with her soothing words. Do you make DAILY choices that follow God's ways? Or do you more often than not make choices that are best for you? Is kindness the rule for everything you say? Before we speak and act, we need to examine our motives and make sure that they are pure. Like the Proverbs 31 Super-Woman - and like Princess Elizabeth of Hungary - we, too can infuence our worlds for good by making wise choices in our daily lives. **To Read more about Elizabeth of Hungary visit: www.historyswomen.com/womenoffaith.html |