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Who can find that virtuous woman? Who can put a price on her value? Who truly realizes the value of such a woman? Boy, if those aren't words I'd love to hear. We've all had those moments where we pause in our hectic day of dirty (blow-out) diapers, spilled cereal, broken vacuum cleaners, and backed-up toilets and thought, "If you only knew what I did during a day." Some, who have attempted to itemize what it would cost to hire someone to do a housewife's job, estimate that her worth is in the triple-digits. But that's just for what I do, not howI do it.

Throughout the passage in Proverbs 31, the virtuous woman is described not just by the tasks that she performs, but by the manner she does them and by the blessing she is to those around her. In other words, I'm not just doing laundry, I'm protecting my children from the elements and helping my husband to succeed in his career. Those are achievements that are difficult to itemize and price. Yet, the value of a virtuous woman goes even further.

To the extent that a godly husband and father determines the direction of the home through his leadership, a virtuous wife and mother determines the essence of the home through her spirit. "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." And we all chuckle, but the fact remains that the entire home and everyone living there is ruled by the spirit of the woman. A depressed, emotional, irrational female ranting and nagging creates a home of chaos and tension-hardly a nurturing environment for the children and definitely not a haven for the husband. On the other hand, a godly, sober-minded, spirit-controlled woman filled with the joy of the Lord brings to her home a spirit of peace and order and calm, a place that both the children and the husband can't wait to return to.

The Price of Self-seeking.

In the book of Proverbs, the virtuous woman is not the only one woman mentioned. One of the other women mentioned in this book of wisdom is the "contentious" or "brawling" woman (Proverbs 27:15; 21:9; 19:13). This is the woman who is seemingly looking for a controversy or contention. She is just waiting for a reason to get riled, and she doesn't need much of one.

I've often heard men vent to one another that they "just can't do anything right" or that they "had just better keep their mouth shut." Because a contentious woman pounces at the slightest provocation, the rest of us are left tiptoeing through every encounter with her. We've probably all collided with someone like this before,

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