Hand me that hammer

Proverbs 14:1
King James Version
Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish
plucketh it down with her hands.

The book of Proverbs is chock full of truths. The thing I love about it is that they apply to everyone equally. You don't have to be a Christian or a Jew, or even believe in any type of God. Much of Proverbs contains what I like to call Laws. These things work just like the Law of Gravity or the Laws of Thermodynamics. And they work every time they're applied, even in ignorance.

One of these Laws is the above verse. So, who is the wise woman and who is the foolish one? Let's look at the foolish woman first. I once knew a woman who liked to complain about her husband. She constantly put him down in her conversations at work. Eventually, a male co-worker caught on to this. Knowing she was unhappy at home opened her up to this guy's advances. They ended up having an affair, and it nearly destroyed her marriage. Fortunately for her and her children, her husband took her back and they were able to heal their marriage. She was not a stupid woman, but she was foolishly tearing down her house with her own hands.

So the opposite of that would be the woman who understands that whatever goes on between her and her husband is their business and no one else's. I'm not saying you can't periodically vent about the little things that drive you nuts. I'm not saying that you can't blog about the stupid thing he said the other day. But, and this is important, if you're going to do that, do it with his permission. What did she say? That defeats the whole purpose! Exactly! If you have to get his permission, you're going to have to talk about it. And that's some major house building right there.

Can I just tell you how great it is to know that no matter how big a disagreement I have with my husband, he's not going to go to work and complain about me? We work it out, and it's our business. He knows how to build his house. And he knows I do the same for him. Because if I start tearing him down just because I'm angry or annoyed, it's the same as taking a sledgehammer to the walls of my home. I might not hit a supporting wall the first time, but eventually that house is coming down.

I think this is why I always feel uncomfortable watching sitcoms in which the husband and wife constantly tear at each other. I don't get it. Why is it funny to call your husband stupid and then go tell everyone you know what a stupid thing he did? I'm sorry, but it just isn't.

Please don't take this as being judgmental, because it was not intended that way. I just started thinking about it last night at church because we were studying Proverbs 14. I hope you'll take this law to heart and start building your own house. Because I don't think there are any foolish women reading this.