Not just like any other woman
Imagine being married to someone everyone admires... that's what it was like for the V-woman's husband. He was popular and his wife helped him so, not that he wasn't as great, but let's face it, he made a great investment when he married her. She wasn't just like any other woman, she was virtuous in every sense of the word. What usually happens is quite the opposite of the above verse... her husband is known in the gates by being married to an authoritarian, a gossiper, the one who-wears-the-pants-at-home, the shy-too-good-for-you-neighbour... women are hardly admired by just being a good housewife, but the V-woman was. She wasn't only a good housewife, she was a friend, a good samaritan, a caring neighbor, a plus to the community.
Wives can either do one of these: bring honor or shame to their husbands. There's no way you can be married to someone and not do one or the other. If you're not adding to his life, you're probably taking away. If you're not representing him well, you're representing him badly. Lifting him up or putting him down...
It's like that simple Math problem.
1 + 1 = 2 (when he marries a V-woman, his value goes up)
-1 + 1 = 0 ! (when he marries a non-V woman, he loses his value!)
This is Aline and I've known her enough time to say she's such an investment to her husband's life and ministry. It was instant! They got married and not too long after, they stood out as one. And though they're so different from one another, it's as if they fit the missing piece in each other's life. The perfect couple!
Cristiane Cardoso
