By Patricia Earley

I often think that somehow I was born in the wrong era. I mean, looking back through history at how the women of days gone by would dress and, well, act like ladies, to me sometimes appears to be a lost art. I remember when I was coming up how my Grandma on her way to church would have the hat, the shoes, the dress, the purse and stockings all matched up. While I praise God that we have freedom in how we dress to come to church without all the “requirements”, I sorely miss the attributes and the tenderness of the women of days gone by. While all of their marriages weren’t perfect, here is one glaring statistic – those marriages lasted. Today, for every 2 marriages, 1 ends in divorce – even in the Christian marriage. Our schedules are full, we are making double or sometimes triple the money, our houses are up to 4 or 5 times larger, we are liberated and we are woman, hear me roar, –but yet our marriages are crumbling right in front of our eyes. What is about the women of old that made them, sustained them and carried them through some of the hardest times in history? When you look at it, it’s very simple.

• Those women truly loved the Lord. Our mothers and grandmothers would pray first thing in the morning, all through the day and late at night. They were our first teachers of saying grace at dinner and the “now I lay me down” prayers at night. They prayed for our fathers and grandfathers, they started prayer meetings in the homes and took it to the streets. They prayed for their children and every child that came to their home. These were women of prayer. They walked with the Lord and read His word every chance they could. Most importantly, they modeled their lives according to the Word. They knew the meaning of relationship with God because they lived it out every day of their lives.

• Those women truly loved their husbands. Ok, let’s be real. Even the men back in the day had their share of struggles and issues, but when you looked in the face of their wives, you saw where those men got their strength. Those women cherished their husbands, through the good and the bad. And you know what else? They talked to their husbands in such a way that no matter what happened on the job, or what bill was due, the tone of the wife’s voice brought peace to the situation and encouragement to her husband. I’m almost sure there was an argument or two, but because these women modeled their lives according to the word of God, they knew what Proverbs 15:1 meant when it says “a gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.”

Next time we will look at how we can use their methods in our marriage.

Posted under Marriage