The Most Important Quality in a Woman (Prov. 31:30)

After being married to the same woman for more than thirty years, one has a pretty good idea of what one is looking for in a woman, and it is much more than charm and beauty. Do not get me wrong, my wife is very charming and beautiful, and I love that about her. However, what is most valuable in our relationship is her deep faith and commitment to God, and how that faith and commitment impacts the rest of her life, and by definition, our marriage relationship.

Scott Stanley, a prominent marriage researcher from the University of Denver, suggests that the principal reason so many marriages do poorly is the very reason so many puppies are returned to the pet shop just a few days. People fall in love with the front side of the puppy, forgetting the puppy also has a back side, which brings unsavory work the owner must perform each day. Similarly, people fall in love with a pretty face and a charming personality that will invariably fade, and possibly vanish soon after the marriage.

A woman who fears the Lord, however, is filled with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22). If you are a woman, these are the qualities you want to have. If you are a man, this is the kind of woman you need to look for, and the kind of man you also want to be.