My Orange Roughy

“Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.” (Pr 31:29 AV)

Proverbs chapter thirty-one is a prophecy taught to King Lemuel from his mother.  When we read of the virtuous woman, it is this king’s mother who is giving a description of the character of the woman who should the king’s wife.  She is giving her son advice as to the help-meet he would need in order to effectively lead the kingdom.  This is in stark contrast with the woman she briefly describes in verse three.  If we forget the lengthy passage of the virtuous woman is also given to Lemuel by his, we might assume she is telling her son never to give his heart to any woman.  This is not the case.  She is simply sharing with him the wisdom of extreme discernment when choosing a mate because she will do more for his success than he would ever appreciate.  Having laid the foundation for the description of this virtuous woman, we want to focus in on one particular phrase.  That is, the phrase we have underlined above.

Have you ever noticed there are favorite dishes at your favorite restaurant that you tend to always go back to when ordering a meal?  I am not that much of a sea-food eater.  At least I wasn’t until about a decade ago.  I had the most amazing walleye at a local restaurant in the Milwaukee area.  That got me experimenting with other seafood.  I found myself eating tilapia, white fish, cod, walleye, catfish, and eventually, lobster.  Each dish was always a pleasant dish.  Nothing to write home about, but tasty enough to eventually order them again.  The coup-de-grace was when I was brave enough to try mussels and crawfish.  Not together, mind you, but at separate times and in separate dishes.  Mussels, not so much.  But I would do that crawfish dish again in a New York minute!  There is one dish, however, that when given the opportunity, I order it every time.  There used to be a restaurant in Paducah, KY called Whaler’s Catch.  Their fried oysters were amazing.  Their lobster pots were pretty good, too.  But there was one dish that was out of this world.  It was the stuffed orange roughy.  This amazing meal was orange roughy stuffed with crab meat and a whole lot of magic.  Baked in a small little porcelain dish, it looked like a child’s portion.  However, there was something about that dish that made the taste buds party and the stomach feel completely satisfied.  It was the kind of dish where you savor every bite.  You are not in a hurry to satisfy hunger.  Rather, one takes very small bites and rests the ingredients on the tongue so one’s senses can appreciate every ingredient and the combination of them.  Truly amazing.

Outside of the LORD, there is no such thing as a perfect anything.  It all depends on what is best suited for the needs and desires at hand.  So, the phrase above is not intended to suggest that if one lined up all the ladies a groom could ever marry, there is one that is the best no matter the personality of the groom.  However, there is the best one for him.  She excels them all.  This is the proper attitude one should have for his spouse.  When comparing her against all others, she should excel them all.  This does not mean she is without fault.  I am sure if I looked hard enough, I might just be able to find one in my dear Lisa.  But I can tell you, without hesitation, she excels them all.  Sorry ladies.  You cannot compare.  There isn’t even a close second.  That is how far above the rest of the population my wife is compared to all of you.  I know.  That may seem like an exaggeration.  But it is not.  It is the honest-to-goodness truth.  My Lisa excels them all and there isn’t anyone who can hold a candle to her.  A truly amazing person with all the qualities of a queen, she is not just my help-meet.  She is my perfect-meet.  She excels them all.