“She opens her mouth with wisdom and the tongue of kindness is on her tongue,”(Proverbs 31:26, ESV).
Fifteen minutes before Dad’s surprise birthday party, and there was panic in the house. Daughters squabbled and tossed blame around, sons-in-law scrambled to stay out of the way of the upset sisters.
They knew how long it took Dad to get back from work, and they had to have it all together — banners up, snacks on the tables, floors vacuumed, but the paralysis of panic had turned all the efforts to slow motion.
Then came the smoke, billowing out from the kitchen.
Sarah, the oldest, put her hands on her face and said just four words: “Oh no, the lasagna!”
By the time she opened the oven door, the main course, Dad’s favorite, was nothing more than burnt offerings.
“It’s going to be a disaster,” shrieked Jill, the youngest daughter, “why didn’t we have the food catered?”
Then Mom walked in, surveyed the chaos, and asked a simple question: “Who are we doing this for?”
“Dad, of course,” the middle child Barbara replied tartly. “It’s his sixtieth, in case you forgot.”
“And does he care if everything’s perfect, or does he just like to be around his family?”
They all fell silent, for it was true. The acrid smell of burnt pasta filtered out of the opened windows, and so did the fear. Mom was here; her wisdom was enough.
It would be all right.
Solomon’s worthy woman is not bitter and shrill in her remarks; instead, her words are wise, sweet and truthful.
Such words of gentle prudence are usually not found on the lips of the very young, for they take the years of setback and experience to develop. But they are more priceless than a pizza!