Verse 12

"She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." Proverbs 31:11
(NIV)

Have you ever thought about whether you bring your husband "good" and "not harm"? I really hadn't until I took a little bit of time tonight to ponder what verse 12 of Proverbs 31 is talking about.

I guess a lot depends upon what you consider to be good and what you consider to be harm. Since Proverbs, and the Bible as a whole, speaks a lot about a person's tongue, I think I'll focus on that aspect of the issue.

I can bring my husband good by speaking softly. I can bring him good by bolstering his reputation when I speak well of him in front of others. I can bring him good by discussing with him the events of HIS day, not mine. I can bring my husband good by telling him how important he is to me and to our children.

Conversely, I can bring my husband harm by engaging in idle gossip with others. This can involve him when I speak ill of him in front of my friends. I can bring him harm by pouncing on him the moment he walks in the door each night to blast him with all of the rotten things that happened to me that day. Usually the tirade begins with, "Do you know what _____________ did today? It's been fight, fight, fight all day long!" I can bring my husband harm by tearing down his ego, making light of things he wants to tell me, that he finds terribly important. I can talk down to my hubby and make him feel stupid.

Husbands are really fragile creatures. They can be strengthened or destroyed by their wives. Let's bring them good, not harm.