She is far more precious than jewels!

I'm speaking of my sweet wife. It's not our anniversary, this isn't an apology, and it isn't a Christmas present either, just something that's a bit overdue. If I'm to write anything about my life, it will have to include a great deal of praise for the woman who has been at my side in one way or another for nearly 18 years now; as my wife for almost 12. She's a good woman; kind and beautiful, and I love her with my whole heart.

We've been through both good times and bad together. Marriage has been easy sometimes, and sometimes it's been difficult. I think it's been fun so far, and I look forward to the hope of spending the rest of my life with this grown-up version of the 14 year-old girl I met seemingly so long and short a time ago. May God grant that the best is very much yet to come!

For those men who read this and are not yet married, I want to praise some of the qualities of my wife which I can assure you from experience you ought to seek in yours:

1) She loves the Lord. My wife is fully commited to her King, and knows that he is a far better man than her husband. A good wife is called to love and serve her husband as if he were Jesus himself (Eph 5:22). There is no mere man in the world good enough to inspire the kind of adoration and submission that the righteous woman is called to embody towards her husband. If your wife doesn't love Jesus, chances are she won't love you either, cause you don't measure up to him! I thank Jesus that my wife loves him first, and I know she loves me too.

2) She is modest, chaste, and loyal. Modesty in a woman is a virtue highly praised by the Lord (1 Pet 3:3-4), and which ought to be valuable above measure to her husband. While it is hard to hide the beauty of a woman from others(and modesty isn't hiding, it's refraining from flaunting), her beauty is specially for the one with whom she has entered into the covenant of love, and a woman who longs for the admiring glances of other men dishonors her husband. My loyal wife has always honored me, and I love her for it.

3) She makes a man into a family. This is true whether she bears many children or none. A man is just a man until he has a wife, then he is a household. How amazing is that?! This is part of that mystery Paul wrote about in Ephesians 5. While some men are called to remain unmarried and thus specially devoted to the Lord's service (1 Cor 7:7), for most men, God's words in the beginning are applicable, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him" (Gen 2:18 ESV). My wife and I make a great team! We have identical core goals and values. We're a family, and she has given me two beloved sons. I am grateful beyond expression. Her heart is constantly tuned to my health, comfort, security, and well-being, and that of our sons. Even when she works outside the home her mind is on our family life. Without her I'd be just a man, but she has made me a household, and my house a home. There is nothing wrong with a woman wanting a career and all that, but a career-woman makes a poor wife. My wife is a carrer-wife. God bless her!

Men, spend your time thinking of the best things about your wife. Be thankful for her. For those of you who are not yet married, but plan to be, take great care and pray hard about your future bride. Few decisions in life are as consequential as that of choosing a mate. A good wife is worth more than all the money in the world. She makes a man rich even when he's poor.

You're beautiful, virtuous, fun, graceful--a dear friend (and lover). I love you, Keshia. Thank you.

---Josh