What are the qualities of a good wife material? Is it enough that she's pretty or that she can cook well? While there are many things that we usually take a look at, there are two key qualities of a good wife material. These are must-have qualities that we can even find in the Bible!
Qualities of a Good Wife Material
Quality of a Good Wife Material #1: PRUDENT
House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. - Proverbs 19:14
The first quality of a good wife material is being PRUDENT - as you can see in the verse above. Why is it important? It's even said that "it's from the Lord"!
The word prudent in the Hebrew language is the word "sakal", which is taken to mean: to have insight, to have comprehension, to fully grasp something to act wisely, to cause to prosper. It has quite a number of meanings but it ultimately is summed up by HAVING PRACTICAL WISDOM.
We don't just want a pretty face. What counts as a quality of a good wife material is to have common sense and wisdom to aid one's husband and family towards fruitfulness and success. Not just one who's smart, but one who is wise with decisions being made, with managing the household and with words being spoken -- because she meditates on the Word, which is the true source of wisdom.
When we talk about this quality, my husband enjoys sharing about how he was bewildered by how I was computing per-gram prices of toothpaste, when we went to the grocery during our courtship season. It's quite simple and funny, yet it truly is important! I often hear of women who max out their husband's credit cards, or have no idea on how to maintain a home. And while this is becoming more and more common, the quality of a good wife material is to be the opposite of that.
Quality of a Good Wife Material #2: VIRTUOUS
Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. - Proverbs 31:10
The second quality of a good wife material is being VIRTUOUS - as you can see in the verse above. Why is it important? It's even said that someone who's virtuous has worth "far above rubies"!
The word virtuous in the Hebrew language is the word "chayil", which is taken to mean: strength, might, and valor. Do we mean that it's a quality of a good wife material to be strong? YES, WE DO!
It's good to see the picture of Ruth in this case, who despite being widowed early, did not take it as an excuse to feel like a victim and just sit idly as she waits for provisions and even a new husband. The very VIRTUOUS and brave Ruth was full of strength as she headed towards the fields to work for her family.
Now, we don't mean that strength is just in physical labor, or that stay-at-home moms aren't considered "strong" as they don't work. Strength can look like different things for different woman, but ultimately, the point is that it is an important quality of a good wife material to not be weak, utterly passive, and overly dependent to a fault. (In Filipino colloquial terms, we call someone like this "pa-bebe" [read as pa-beh-beh].)
We're also not saying that women should be agressive, rash, and rude. A good wife material is one who has strength and power, yet exudes this with kindness, grace and calm confidence. Yes, ladies - NAGGING does not display chayil strength ;)
A final note:
Men: Make sure to check for these qualities of a good wife material before you consider a woman for marriage, or even for a relationship. Yet, don't expect perfection -- that's a wrong path to go to. Nobody can be 100% perfect yet, even with just these 2 qualities of a good wife material -- but if there is an intent to work these traits out by God's help (and there is growth and improvement), then that should be a good sign ;)
Women: During our waiting season, may we desire to build ourselves up with these traits, not just because they are qualities of a good wife material, but also because they are for our own growth and development :)
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