Preparing to say "I Do"... 150 days left.

Monday morning when I woke up I did my normal routine of trying to actually wake up before getting out of bed - texted Nathan to talk to him before he left for work, browsed IG for a few minutes, checked my email, and my blog lovin'. I just started following sweet Rachel at "Oh, Simple Thoughts" and her newest blog post was at the top of my feed. It was such a refreshing honest read that shared her heart as a wife and some convicting verses about the responsibly and power wives have. It kind of made me sit back and realize that I have been neglecting the most important thing - preparing to be the life-long help-mate of Nathan. It's so much easier to spend all your time focusing on the wedding day during this engaged period of time, but that will last a day, a few hours, marriage will last a lifetime. 

So, as it is 150 days away {Say, what??} from when Nathan and I say "I do" I decided it would be good for me to study what God says about wives and this blog is a great way for me to process it! Hopefully throughout the remainder of these days I'll pop in with a few more of these posts. =) And hopefully Rachel doesn't mind but I'm borrowing the verses from her post!

The following verse I want to be the theme for my studies and then hopefully I'll stem off of it into other things. =)

Proverbs 12:4

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones"

{Merriam-webster.com} Excellent ~
 1. archaic: Superior, 2 : very good of its kind : eminently good : first class

{Dictionary-reference.com} Excellent ~
1. possessing outstanding quality or superior merit; remarkably good 2. archaic. extraordinary; superior.

{Merriam-webster.com} Rottenness ~
1. having rotted or decayed and no longer able to be used, eaten, etc.
2. very bad or unpleasant 
3. not well or healthy

{Dictionary-reference.com} Rottenness ~
1. decomposing or decaying; putrid; tainted, foul, or bad-smelling.
2. corrupt or morally offensive.
3. wretchedly bad, unpleasant, or unsatisfactory; miserable: a rotten piece of work; a rotten day at the office.
4. contemptible; despicable: a rotten little liar; a rotten trick.
5. (of soil, rocks, etc.) soft, yielding, or friable as the result of decomposition.

What a contrast - Isn't it crazy how much power and responsibility wives have? We can either be crowns to our husbands or an incurable disease and a shame, whoa. Just let that sink in for a bit. Every time I read this verse, I'm convicted about how important it is for me to be that excellent wife for Nathan, and boy, I'm not even his wife yet and I fail at treating him the way God calls me to.

Here are a few thoughts from one of my favorite {dead} commentators, Matthew Henry: 

He that is blessed with a good wife is as happy as if he were upon the throne, for she is no less than a crown to him. A virtuous (excellent) woman, that is pious and prudent, ingenious and industrious, that is active for the good of her family and looks well to the ways of her household, that makes conscience of her duty in every relation, a woman of spirit, that can bear crosses without disturbance, such a one owns her husband for her head, and therefore she is a crown to him, not only a credit and honor to him, as a crown is an ornament, but supports and keeps up his authority in his family, as a crown is an ensign of power. She is submissive and faithful to him and by her example teaches his children and servants to be so too. He that is plagued with a bad wife is as miserable as if he were upon the dunghill; for she is no better than rottenness in his bones, an incurable disease, besides that she makes him ashamed. She that is silly and slothful, wasteful and wanton, passionate and ill-tongued, ruins both the credit and comfort of her husband. If he go abroad, his head is hung down, for his wife’s faults turn to his reproach. If he retire into himself, his heart is sunk; he is continually uneasy; it is an affliction that preys much upon the spirits.

I really love how he compares the crown to a wife who upholds her husbands authority just as a crown is a sign of authority and also is a credit and honor to him as a crown is a credit and honor to a king. Now that doesn't mean you don't ever discuss things with your husband or that your relationship is like a king and a servant - of course not, I hope you never think that's what I'm trying to say; but as wives (future wives) we are called to respect our husbands and submit to his authority as the church submits to Christ - it is a picture of the Gospel! In turn they are called to love their wives and sacrifice for them as Christ does/did for the church - that is a picture of the Gospel! This post at "Oh Simple Thoughts" is a wonderful explanation of what that is. Also, check out the post that inspired me to start mine!

What does it look like to be an excellent wife? Next post I want to look at some verses that describe the type of wife I need to be preparing to be!

{I'm hoping that this will be a short series of sort as we countdown to my wedding, but most likely it will be sporadic. =) }

{P.S. I am not married yet, still 150 days to go, so I realize I am not the expert on marriage or what it means to be a wife - but I do have God's word and I can see what He has to say on the subject. That is my heart for these posts, to simply share what God is teaching me about the type of wife he wants me to be when I marry. If you are married or preparing to say "I Do" yourself, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!}

Until next time...