An Equal Time Poem? – Eternity for Today

Thursday September 20th, 2018 Proverbs 31:10-31

Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." (verses 28-29)

A women’s Bible study in my first parish honestly thought that this “Ode to a Great Wife and Mom” placed way too many expectations on them. Poor me, I thought it simply listed my wife’s talents!

So, in fairness, how about “An Ode to a Good Husband and Dad” to go along with these verses? In my poem, I’d list these qualities: A good man cherishes his wife-often. He trusts in her ability to solve her problems without jumping in to “fix things” for her. She can trust him even when he’s a thousand kilometres away. He provides for his family and pays the bills. He treats their house as a home, not a pit stop for showers, laundry and meals. He plays with his kids and prays for his kids. He’s not perfect, but he gives his family his best. In short, he loves his family like Christ loves the church.

I hope that’s not placing too many expectations on the guys!

Thank you, God, for mothers and grandmothers and wives and sisters and daughters and granddaughters and teachers, and for lots of female friends who come to mind when we read Proverbs 31. You blessed them all to be a blessing. Amen. — BB

Contributed by An Equal Time Poem?

A women's Bible study in my first parish honestly thought that this "Ode to a Great Wife and Mom" placed way too many expectations on them. Poor me, I thought it simply listed my wife's talents! So, in fairness, how about "An Ode to a Good Husband and Dad" to go along with these verses? In my poem, I'd list these qualities: A good man cherishes his wife-often. He trusts in her ability to solve her problems without jumping in to "fix things" for her. She can trust him even when he's a thousand kilometres away. He provides for his family and pays the bills. He treats their house as a home, not a pit stop for showers, laundry and meals. He plays with his kids and prays for his kids. He's not perfect, but he gives his family his best. In short, he loves his family like Christ loves the church. I hope that's not placing too many expectations on the guys!