W.O.W. -- Devotional for March 13, from "Good Seeds"

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised! Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:31)

Down through the ages of civilization there has been an ongoing battle between the sexes: men lording over and putting down women; women rising up in rebellion against the unwelcome authority of husbands and other male rulers. But when we turn to the Bible and read Solomon’s description of a woman, all we can say is, “WOW, don’t look now, but here indeed is a Woman Of Worth! When God created the animals that filled sea, sky and land He looked around and realized He wasn’t finished yet. Oh, He could have taken any of these for walks in the Garden of Eden, as a man walks his dog, but what creature would walk beside Him and talk to Him as a man to his friend? None of the above. So, “God created man in His own image…” – now get this, “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). Men like to see themselves as superior to women, but God sees the two as one: He created man male and female. These two are not synonymous, for men and women are not the same – in fact, totally opposite in so many wonderful ways (“Vive la difference!” say the French). But this is not to say they are not equal in value. there can be no doubt that the female stands next to the male as an equal, noble, fellow creature. But when sin came in it ruined everything: it stained Adam’s very nature and tainted Eve’s every feature. God had breathed life into the first man. But when sin entered, and death by sin, God created life again, this time not by His breath but by His Son. And when men and women alike receive that new life, it can be like before: the Adams and Eves of Christ’s kingdom can once again be one with their Creator and with one another. When Adam saw Eve for the first time all he could say was, “WOW!” We like to think he was impressed primarily by her raw, naked beauty. Oh she was perfect, to be sure, but what stood before him – and what blew him away – was “A Woman Of Worth.” And still today that’s what blows men away! Outward charm learned in charm school, painted beauty picked up at the beauty shop – these things are indeed only skin deep, and a women who has to depend on them to get her man – or get her way – will be insecure, unhappy, and afraid all her life. But look! See before you a woman who has learned the secret of inner worth. She will receive the praise of her works, her God, and all the men of the land. And what is that secret? She fears the Lord! W.O.W.!