What's Your Plan?

"She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."  (Proverbs 31:12)

In some ways, this verse takes us back to a previous thought about adding value to the lives of those we love.  But this goes even farther.  This woman has a purpose in life!  Her goal is to benefit her husband with good, to brighten his life.  This is the ultimate in unselfishness.  This woman does not have a "what's in it for me" attitude, but rather has a goal, a life purpose of lifting up her husband, of making his life "good".  And she does this "all the days of her life".  How do you and I follow this example?  How do we take this picture of unselfishness and live it out in our everyday lives? 

Following the Proverbs 31 woman's example is in many ways the same as following Jesus' example.....doing good to others.  Examine Proverbs 3:27, Galatians 6:10 and Colossians 3:23.  What do you learn and what insight do these verses give in how to do good in your relationships?

A phrase that jumps out at me in today's verse is "all the days of her life".  If we view our relationships from this perspective, what difference would it make in how we treat others and how we respond to circumstances?  Hmmm......think about that! 

And finally, think about the contrast in this verse.......she does good and not evil.  Look at Proverbs 14:22 -
"Do they not go astray who devise evil?  But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good."  Another word for "devise" is "plan".  So here's the question.....what are you planning today?  How (and be specific) do you plan to do good to your spouse, your family, or those with whom you are in relationship. 

Here's an idea......as you are considering your plan, why not make a list?  (I'm a big list-maker!)  Maybe it could be an alphabetized list!!!  The A-B-Cs of "doing good"!!   It might start out as A - always encourage; B - be thoughtful; C - control my temper or control my spending or.........  You know your situation and your personality (and its flaws!!) better than I do.  My list will probably look different than yours.  That's not important.  The important thing is to purposefully follow the exhortation of this verse and "do him good and not evil all the days" of our lives.  The important thing is to have a plan and to carry it out.

So, what's your plan?