Time Magazine began its “Person of the Year” presentation in 1927 …
· Charles Lindbergh was the first, and the youngest, person to receive
the distinction. He was 25 years old 1927.
· Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson, the woman whom English King Edward VIII
married after he removed himself from being king in order to marry her,
was the first woman to receive the honor - 1936.
· U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only person to have
been named three times: 1932, 1934, and 1941.
· In 2004 the Person of the Year was President George W. Bush.
· In 2005 it was Bono of the group U2 and Bill Gates and his wife.
Aren’t you glad you are not in a popularity contest to see if you can become
the Person of the Year? There are some people in my life that I have admired
greatly; and I must admit that most of them have not been the Time’s Person
of the Year.
I think we should choose our mother’s as being more worthy of honor
than pilots, kings, or presidents! Don’t you? Mother’s Day was first
celebrated among the Greeks, then later in England during the 1600’s
it was celebrated as “Mothering Sunday.” It began being celebrated in
the United States in 1908 and became a national holiday in 1914.
The reason we celebrate Mother’s Day is because we admire our mothers
and our wives. They are worthy of honor and today is a day to be set
aside to honor them for all of the loving sacrifices they made in raising
us and helping us become who we are!
There is a list of admirable traits of a wonderful woman in the Book
of Proverbs. Many women have read about The Proverbs Thirty One woman
and wondered if the woman described was a superwoman … because few women
could ever compare! I think it may have been the writings a future Mother-in-law
who is giving a wish list of what to look for in a wife, to her young
son!
So pick and chose from the list the character traits you wish to honor
in your wife and your mother. Ladies, don’t be downhearted if you don’t
exhibit them all! This is a goal. When you achieve all of this you can
become .... Superwoman!
Prov 31
10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack
of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not
go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her
hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to
the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household
is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of
the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the
merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to
come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread
of idleness.
Let me share the qualities that I admire in the women of my life …
my wife, my mother and my mother-in-law.
She is Trustworthy
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her
One of the most endearing qualities that any wife or mother can ever
have is to be trustworthy. In an age when our nation seems to have a
deep unsettled feeling deep within its soul, its good to know there is
someone we can trust.
My wife’s mother had seven children with one husband, but sadly, he
left her and was married twice after that divorce. But Mom Herndon never
gave up on her commitment to her husband and loved him until they day
he died. Was that unreasonable? Perhaps to you and to me … but not to
Mom Herndon. She was trustworthy. In the writings of the Scripture she
was free to marry again, but she chose not to.
Guys … make sure you let your wife know you appreciate her commitment
to you and your family! Your heart trusts her … so tell her!
She is Industrious
13 She willingly works with her hands.
An industrious person, either male or female, will always be in demand.
And may I say that it is not the duty of a wife to work full-time and
then cook all the meals, clean the house, and do the laundry! When wives
share the work load to bring in money for the household, then their husbands
should share in the housework!
My mother was one of those who was always industrious! She didn’t sit
still from sun up to sun down! She is worthy of honor.
And those of you who are full-time housewives: A study presented in the news
indicated that a full time housewife is worth over $134,000 a year! Guys
… appreciate your wife! You couldn’t get better help anywhere in the world
than the help you get from your wife … she is your greatest asset. Pitch
in and help her … cherish her!
She is Merciful
20 She extends her hand to the poor and needy.
All of us guys need to live with someone who is merciful with us! The
evidence of her mercy may be seen by others when she is helping the poor
and needy, but when we live with a merciful woman it improves our life!
Most of us guys have done some real dumb things … we may lose our temper,
spend too much money, or make some bad judgments in life … we need someone
who can be merciful. I’m not willing to make a public confession of all
the bloopers I’ve made, but it has been wonderful to have a wife who
will be merciful and not keep reminding me of all those dumb things.
She really builds my confidence to keep going on in life!
So let her know that you appreciate her mercy!
She has a heart of Hope.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to
come.
I think it is a real gift for anyone to be able to look toward the
tomorrows of life with strength and rejoicing. A wise woman knows there
will always be a time to rejoice in the days to come. Hope is a good
watchword for all of us!
Do bad things happen in good families? Yes. But a heart of faith and
hope can stir a family to rise up and meet the new day with confidence.
I’ve seen many families endure difficult times and come to a place of
success and joy … just because a Godly woman would not give up hope.
My mother, my wife, and my mother-in-law have all been women of hope.
They always encouraged their families to look to God’s promises for the
future! With hope they believed in God’s ability to bring about good
for the families.
This is what we need to be saying about our wives and mothers ….
Proverbs 31
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he
praises her:
29 "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all."
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the
LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her
in the gates.
Now guys. What is the best way for you to encourage your wife?
Eph 5
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he
who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes (pampers) and cherishes
(protects) it, just as the Lord does the church.
Paul said we are to love our wives by pampering her and protecting
her! The word for nourish means “to fatten up,” but it isn’t talking
about food! It’s talking about building up your wife’s confidence with
your words and your actions. Your nourishment can bring her to her full
potential in life!
The words “to cherish and protect her” comes from the activity of a
mother hen who is keeping her eggs under her, brooding them until their
hatched, then covering them to keep them from all harm. We men have been
given a protectors role in the life of the women in our families. The
harm that can come to them can be physical, but often is emotional or
spiritual, and we have an obligation before God to provide strength and
protection to them and keep them from harm.
So bless your mother, your wife, and your mother-in-law! Praise them,
encourage them and treat them like they were born as the Queen of your
heart! They will be blessed and so will you!
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