Five Important Qualities

I have recently completed the book To Train Up A Child, by Debi and Michael Peart. I hope to blog about this common sense advice on child rearing at some point. What prompted this post was found in the last pages of this book. Michael Peart wrote a letter to his two sons, who were then 17 and 15 years of age. Paraphrased, these are the qualities he advised his sons to look for in a Christian wife, in order of importance:

1. That she love the Lord and be His true disciple. That she knows how to pray. No argument there from any Christian.

2. That she be cheerful. A girl who is unhappy and discontent before marriage will NOT suddenly change afterward. No man can make a discontented woman happy. A woman who does not find joy from a wellspring within will not find it in the difficulties and trials of marriage and motherhood.

3. That she is thankful. When a young girl is unthankful toward her family or her circumstances, a change of environment and/or relationships is not going to make her thankful. Avoid a moody, unhappy, unthankful girl. If she is not full of the joy of living before marriage, she most certainly will not be afterward.

4. That she be a creative, hard worker. This speaks for itself. She should not be lazy or slothful.

5. That she love children. Needless to say, raising a family will be extremely difficult if the woman does not have a love for children.

Lest one thinks he is being too critical of women, he did go on to admonish his sons on the proper care and nurturing of their wife, which was true and excellent advice.

I think most of us {old married women-folk} would have listed some of these. What struck me the most, however, was number 2 and 3, and the fact that they were in that order. It's not that I didn't think these qualities were important, I just didn't think they would have made the Top Five list of so many things that "seem" important.

But I think I've just changed my mind. I want my home to be full of joy and cheer. And I never want to lose my thankfulness.

Most of all.......if I want my daughter to have these qualities, I must lead by example.