The Proverbs 31...Man?

What Christian wife hasn't heard of the Proverbs 31 woman? For as long as I can remember, this picture of perfect, biblical womanhood has been taught in myriad ways and her seemingly endless capabilities acclaimed as vituous traits that every Christian wife should strive to for.

Very recently, I was wandering around on the various blogs I follow and came across a post on The Marry Blogger about the Proverbs 31 Man which intrigued me because I'd never heard of this before. So, thinking it was the blogger's clever play on words I went ahead a read the post.

I haven't been able to pick my jaw up off of the floor ever since.

There's a Proverbs 31 man??? Of course there's a man! He's not mentioned as much as she is but he's there alright. And when I began to read the proverb with him playing a role in all that she does, my eyes were opened in a whole new way.

Here is a wife who is well treated by her husband. He provides for her financially, he fully trusts her, he praises her to her face and in front of the children. He affirms her in every way. Seriously, if he were being a creep, there's no way that she would be able to do all that she does and, in fact, she probably wouldn't even want to. But because the Proverbs 31 man treats her so wonderfully and the way that God has called him to, she is capable of blessing his socks off. And - get this - she wants to!

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to delve into Proverbs 31 so that we can all learn more about this incredible guy whose wife responds so positively to him and why. I don't know, but the more I think about it, I think Proverbs 31 is God's picture to married Christian couples of what an Outrageously Happy Marriage can look like when a husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church and lays his life down for her.