#Proverbs

One of my favorite proverbs is found in the book of Proverbs chapter 31 in which a description of a worthy woman is given. Verse 30 says, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Because my birthday is on the 30th, I claimed this verse as my life verse.

It's a nice thing to be charming and beautiful, but Solomon noted that both of these attributes do have negatives that go along with them. Charm can deceive you when it is not sincere and beauty doesn't last long. But, the but following these warnings is full of beauty.

As a child, I feared punishment. When I disobeyed I dreaded the whippings I knew were coming and even more, I feared the promised damnation of Hell for sinners. Knowing God was righteous and could see everything made me fear Him. I am glad that I had good preaching declaring the reality of Hell because it made me turn to God for forgiveness so I would not find myself there when I died.

Fear can be a good thing! Perhaps this is the kind of fear this verse speaks about, but there is another definition that is possible. Fear can be an awesome respect and appreciation for someone or some power much greater than yourself. When one has this kind of  'fear' it leads to worship and adoration. When a woman, or a man, fears the Lord in this way, their lives demonstrate something that can be praised.

A son of mine came and sat down beside me the other night and said that there were four things in his life that he was most grateful for and began listing them. The first one on his list was how grateful he was for the foundation his father and I had given him. He related how he would transgress at times when he was younger, but would later realize it and felt bound to return to his foundation. That sentence was praise to my ears. My 'fear' of the Lord did result in a praise and I am most grateful that the influence my husband and I had on his life as a youngster had such an impact on him.