The Wife Of My Youth

She is the delight of my soul,
a darling wife,
more precious than jewels.

From the time she became a woman,
she resolved to know wisdom;
yea, to not merely speak of truth,
but to live it.

She gave not the flower of her youth to any man,
she did not flirt with this one or that;
nay, she sought after righteousness,
seeking to please her Father.

Indeed He was well pleased with her,
and gave her strength and compassion to serve the poor;
her hands outstretched to the needy,
her heart broken for the sickness around her.

She spent not her money on push-up bras,
nor her time seeking to please men.
Many are the girls who claim to live this same way,
but their actions speak louder than their words.

Oh how my heart breaks when I see the girls,
associating their values with their bodies;
they'll deny it, saying they're independent women,
but look at how they dress,
look at how they flirt;
their actions speak louder than their words.

How blessed I am to be given my wife,
a woman who understands that charm is deceitful,
beauty is vain, and fornication,
though sweet for a moment,
leaves a sour taste for eternity.

The media tells girls how they should live,
how they should dress,
and how they are valued;
that they are not to demonstrate purity,
but always to be giggling balls of foolishness,
bouncing from one man to another,
and forgetting the poor...

My wife dresses herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
She clothes her household in scarlet,
and feeds the hungry.

In all the land there is none so beautiful as she;
yet she wears no push-up bras,
dances not in lasciviousness,
and her lips do not drip with sensual honey.

No man has known her but me,
and she has not given any of her heart to another;
her heart is completely mine, and mine is completely hers.

From her mouth flows wisdom;
life, and truth are the words she chooses.

She doesn't need me,
she didn't marry me because she needed a man,
needed security, or affection.

For she found all she needed in her maker,
in her Father.
He bestowed her with love and compassion,
and she blessed His heart.

She married me not because she needed me,
but because she chose to love me,
and I am blessed.

She is not a weak, shallow woman;
she is strong, and full of grace;
righteousness surrounds her.
She is a voice for the mute,
and a mother to orphans.

Oh how I thank God,
for this my wife is a godly woman,
who will be called blessed by her children.

"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates
- Proverbs 31:29-31