Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
Interestingly enough, these scriptures are speaking to the man about being faithful, however I read in it something for wives as well. I can take from these verses several things a wife should (or shouldn't be). In fact, if you read all of Proverbs 5 you can get a very clear picture of what a godly wife SHOULDN'T be. Today I really want to focus on these verses though because they talk specifically about being a wife.
Verse 15 refers to this man's wife as a "cistern" or a container or well of water. The is very symbolic in several ways. One, it refers to the nature of giving. The words "running," "springs," and "streams" all refer to something that continues to flow. As a godly wife we give of ourselves, our love, our support, and life freely and without reserve for our husband and family. Taking my mother as an example, I am convinced that this is an ability that is truly God given for wives. It's one of the ways God enables us to perform our role as wife. Although this is a gift given by God, it can also be a challenge. Giving with a return can be tiring and draining. It is hard not to be bitter at times when I don't see any return from my giving, however it is important to remember we do it more for God than we do our husband. (It makes the burden lighter)
In verse 18 the writer speaks of rejoicing in the "wife of your youth" and verse 19 uses the words "always" and "may you ever," all references to a happy and fulfilling marriage from beginning to end. As a wife I can gleam both encouragement and a reminder from these verses. It is encouraging to know that if I am married to a godly man he will strive to always see and treat me in love. He will never lose his passion for me because he will make it a goal to pursue that passion. However, the reminder I get is that I should remember the things that made my husband fall in love with me in his "youth" and strive to provoke the same feelings in my husband today and always. Yes, it is a blessed burden on the man to stay faithful and passionate about his wife, but it is the wife's role to create an atmosphere that he can do so.
The last verse I noted above talks pretty blatantly about sex. I can not simply ignore the fact. I find a reminder in that too. I am aware that my body may not be the same as it was the day we married, but as a wife I see a purpose in making effort on staying beautiful for my spouse. This is not necessarily doing something more or different than you already do, however I can see changes in myself since the early days. Early on I was careful wit personal up-keep. Nails, hair, shaving, beauty rituals were all important because I wanted to look beautiful and make my man feel special. As time goes by and comfort sets in, I find those things happen less often. I don't particularly think that is a good thing. I strive to find a balance in accepting who God made me to be and striving for beauty. I think it really all goes back to what I said above, I want to remind him I am the same person he feel in love with both inside and out (now with a deeper love that comes through the years). That deeper love will cover what physically time has changed.
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