In reflecting upon our nation’s birthday this Independence Day, I was drawn to the lives of the wives of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I have taken particular interest in the life of Abigail Adams and the role she played as one of only two women in American history to be a wife of a president and the mother of a future president (only Barbara Bush has done the same). What an amazing life this woman led! As her husband, John Adams, became more involved in politics, it is widely known that he sought Abigail’s advice and counsel in many political matters in the days leading up to John Adams signing the Declaration of Independence. I cannot begin to imagine the sacrifices this woman made in supporting her husband as he pledged his life and fortune upon the notion of liberty in this land.
When John later became the second president, Abigail became the second “first lady.” She was the first president’s wife to actually reside in the White House, and she took the time to ensure that she held a big, weekly formal dinner and tended to the affairs of managing and living in the somewhat modest estate that was still being built upon the White House grounds. All the while, she was raising children and instilling in them the same core beliefs and foundational principles that define our nation as the land of the free. After her husband’s time in office, she stayed in close contact with her son, John Quincy Adams, as his political career became more nationwide. Being taken with typhoid fever in 1818, she did not live to see her son become president, but she surely left a lasting legacy in the lives of the American people as a wife and a mother of liberty.
To me, Abigail Adams embodies many of the amazing qualities that we as Christian ladies strive to achieve as outlined in Proverbs 31 by the “Proverbs 31 woman.” Abigail Adams’ husband trusted in her, even to the point of revealing things to her before they were made public during his presidency. She did him good and not evil as she would frequently publish articles positively reinforcing her husband’s policies as president. She had financial wisdom and is lauded as the main reason John Adams and his family had wealth in his later years due to her business decisions in financial dealings. She took care of her household (She even hung laundry to dry in the East Room!) and was the first White House decorator—what a challenge! Even after her life has ended, Americans everywhere can study and see that this lady of liberty was able to see Proverbs 31:28 come true in her life: Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
In this world of the hustle, bustle, and “go, go, go!” mentality, let us never forget that being a wife and a mother are two of the greatest duties that we can accomplish. These two duties are so important and all-encompassing that God decided He could only trust a woman with these tasks! Today, women are lauded for “being able to do anything a man can do.” I would rather strive to do the things that a man cannot do. We are challenged from Proverbs 31 to be the right kind of wives and mothers and to encourage our spouses and train our children to have the liberty to live for the Lord. May we all seek to be a wife and mother of liberty.
by Beth Payton
