Sweetly, Sweetie!

The last time I read Proverbs, I was struck by how often it says the adulterous woman lures a man with her words—her sweet words. There's got to be something here for us to learn! Us as women. Us as wives.

The adulterous woman in Proverbs would go out to the street corners and watch for men. Once she spotted one, check out what Proverbs 7:6-18 says she did.
(6) For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice,
(7) And I saw among the naive,
And discerned among the youths
A young man lacking sense,
(8) Passing through the street near her corner;
And he takes the way to her house,
(9) In the twilight, in the evening,
In the middle of the night and in the darkness.
(10) And behold, a woman comes to meet him,
Dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart.
(11) She is boisterous and rebellious,
Her feet do not remain at home;
(12) She is now in the streets, now in the squares,
And lurks by every corner.
(13) So she seizes him and kisses him
And with a brazen face she says to him:
(14) "I was due to offer peace offerings;
Today I have paid my vows.
(15) "Therefore I have come out to meet you,
To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.
(16) "I have spread my couch with coverings,
With colored linens of Egypt.
(17) "I have sprinkled my bed
With myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
(18) "Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with caresses.

So let's check this out.

**She prepared herself physically by dressing to please the men she was after. Prov. 7:10

**She communicated physically her desire by grabbing him and kissing and boldly letting him know she was waiting for him. Prov. 7:13-15

**She let him know she anticipated his arrival and had her bed prepared with her finest AND that she was looking forward to intimate time with him. Prov. 7:16-18

The problem is not the steps she took in her preparation and pursuit, it was who she pursued. She was after someone other than her husband (which is a good reminder to us that there's other women out there after our husbands!) Since we're pursuing our own husband we can use those same steps and reap the rewards, not the consequences. Sounds like a sweet deal to me!

Before your man gets home, put on something you know he finds appealing. It doesn't have to be dressy, just something he likes to see you in. I know—many of the things he really likes seeing in aren't things you can wear around the house when others are up and about—but there's always what you're wearing under what everyone else sees. So make your outer clothes appealing to him and let him know he'll like what's under them even better.

For some of us who work at home all day that might mean changing out of our grubby jeans and t-shirts, and for others of us who work away from the home that might mean changing out of work clothes and not putting on the sweatpants like we often do. Whatever the case, put a little effort into looking nice for your man.

The second thing the woman on the corner did was to let the man know physically that she was waiting for him. She didn't hand off the baby and say 'It's about time you got home!' or even 'Supper's ready and waiting.' She grabbed him and laid one on him. Do you know what that communicates to a man? Whoa! She wants me! And what man doesn't want to be wanted?

The woman on the corner also talked to him. She told him all about the preparations she had done in anticipation of his arrival. Verses 21 & 22 say “With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her...”

Men, like women, enjoy people that appreciate them and talk nicely to them. Many times kind words and words of praise will catch their attention when other, more open attacks won't. One way to help our men be anxious to get home to us is to make sure they hear an abundance of sweet words from our lips. No one likes living with a nag or a sharp tongued woman.

Words are an important part of life, and the ones who use words wisely reap the rewards.

Remember, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, so speak sweetly, sweetie.