A couple of weeks ago we looked at Proverbs 7, and if you read it, it might have made you squirm uncomfortably in your seat. This brash woman is lingering in dark alleys, waiting to seduce and deceive. (You can catch that post here if you missed it.)
Now, I have great news. Proverbs 8 is this beautiful opposite picture. Sigh of relief.
It shares the story of Wisdom, (again personified as a woman) crying aloud in the streets.
Now, you might pause with a question reading Proverbs 8. If Lady Wisdom is crying aloud in the streets, where is she? How do I hear her? What is this extended metaphor even talking about?
Honestly, the only people I’ve ever seen shouting about Jesus to strangers in the streets seemed… nuts, to put it delicately.
This great contrast to the seductive secrecy of the brash woman we read about in Proverbs 7 — this Truth that can be proclaimed from high hills and at city entrances. It’s not dishonesty and secrets that are whispered in dark alleys. But, again we ask, where is Wisdom for us to hear her?
To make things tidy and organized for you, over the next few weeks we’re going to look at a few different places we can look for Wisdom. If She is so plainly shouting in the streets, is it possible that we’re missing her? Or what sense can we make of this passage?
First up, Look Up
Do you know those beautiful verses from Psalm 19 that speak about how the heavens declare the glory of the Lord, and the skies show us His handiwork? I loved discovering the way The Message translates these thoughts:
God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening.
Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
Even though the heavens don’t “speak” in the literal sense — they still tell the truth of a faithful, consistent, unchanging Creator who dreamed sunsets into being, and decided what the patterns sunlight would make as it filters through the leaves of each and every tree and scatters on the forest floor. The God who breathed both constellations and caterpillars and decided giraffes only needed seven vertebrae in their neck, just like humans. That still puzzles my puzzler.
Remember that beautiful Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem that says —
Earth is crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes — The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries. {Elizabeth Barrett Browning}
Only he who sees takes off his shoes. We can not must not lose our sense of wonder at Creation, the handiwork of God.
I stood under our big magnolia tree this afternoon, just looking up the great knobby trunk and at the branches, stretching out in every direction like spokes around the wheel of a bicycle, and I couldn’t help but marvel and think: What whispers from the Creator would I hear a little better, if I just made sure to take a little time to slow and experience His Creation?
We are in a strange place, friends. We’re walking through uncharted territory in unusual times.
If God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and we trust He is the Creator, it might do us some good to breath fresh air and marvel at His creation for a while. All these things that were before we came to be and will be when we’re gone. What does He whisper through His creation?
Stand outside and look up at the trees or down at the all tiny insects you might find in a section of grass on the ground no bigger than your hand — could this be seeking Him? And could you be rewarded by finding Him?
Wisdom truly is plainly on display for us to see in the glorious Creation all around us. So this is my hope and my challenge and my encouragement for you to go one day deeper in the Lord today: step outside and look for a reason to wonder. Take a moment without kids, or spouses or an agenda, however much of a moment you can take, and watch a bird fly or look at the intricate design of a single blade of grass. Examine the moss on a tree trunk or rub the veins of a leaf between your fingers, even if it’s just the potted plant by the window.
Then, point your soul toward heaven and just ask for wisdom with a teachable heart, like a child. Ask God to help you see something that makes you, like Moses, want to take off your shoes.
This season is not forever. The sun will rise again. Let your bare feet touch the grass. Breathe and trust the Author, Who saw this coming and hasn’t stopped writing your story.
Wisdom cries out for us, friends. Perhaps we need to quiet down a little to listen.
Psst… Did you catch the news last week about a new resource I created for you? It’s called Ten Simple Ways to Share Your Faith With Your Kids, and you can find it on the brand new Parenting Resources page I ALSO created for you! Find all the good stuff at https://www.carolinecollie.com/parenting/.
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I sure hope this was an encouragement to you today! Could you use some more encouragement during this crazy pandemic? If so, you can subscribe and never miss my (weekly) posts by clicking right here. I’ll do a happy dance, and you’ll get encouraging words in your inbox once a week! (I’ll also send you an awesome Meal Plan Step-by-Step Guide… Definitely a win/win!Hint: I Instant Pot like nobody’s business.)
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Some posts on my site contain affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, I receive compensation at no extra cost to you. I love it when you do that! Thank you for supporting With Love!
I recently watched an interview with Beth Moore. She encouraged young authors with stories from her own journey and shared examples of how she listens for the Holy Spirit, chooses what thoughts are best for a quick tweet or a blog post, or what material might be the making of a book to be published. She was delightful and engaging all-around, but my favorite moment came at the end of the interview when she was asked about what she was working on and how viewers could support her.
She quickly shared about the book she has coming out (The audiobook version is free on Audible right now). and the Bible study she hopes to release in September. Afterwards was eager to ask specifically for prayer. She shared that the most important thing to her is that she surrenders to ministry because she loves Jesus — and that’s how she wants to go home. “I want to make it to the finish line, that nobody hijacked that — that nothing hijacked that.”
It was a precious and beautiful inspiration to me to see this woman of the faith who has spoken to millions, published more words than can be counted and sown into so many hearts for the kingdom of God, asking for prayer that she would finish the race she began, holding tightly, faithful to Jesus.
I’ve often heard that pride is at the root of every sin. I feel certain humility is the antidote — because if we don’t believe we can fall — well, buddy, look out.
Right now? So many of us are in hard places. We’re facing the fear of a significant illness for ourselves or our loved ones — and so much more. We’re facing the fear of missing paychecks. We’re facing the fear of our children falling behind in school while we attempt to make education happen at home. The list goes on.
It’s easy to feel pretty scared right now, right?
And let me tell you from personal experience, when we are scared or hurting or facing hard things, we’re at a much greater risk for falling into temptations we would never consider when life feels easier and breezier.
In Proverbs 7, Solomon tells this story about this young man who’s really not looking for trouble — but he’s not really looking for a way out of trouble either — Wisdom is not the sister he talks to and Insight is not his BFF.
It’d make a good story for Hollywood — and if the story wanted to lend itself to telling the truth, it would start with this seduction scene, and then the seductress would go on her way, and we’d watch this young man’s life start to spiral out of control, because the path he chose is like turning on to a street hoping to find a different route to where you want to go — but completely ignoring the clearly posted “Dead End” sign right at the top of the road.
Consider this: we’ve all inherited a sinful nature. Not just quirks and opinions and voting tendencies and denominational preferences. We have all inherited a nature that wants to follow temptation when it waits for us in the street. It comes in many forms. Makes us feel good about bad choices. Even uses religion to justify many vices.
What hope is there for that kid who got caught in that trap? What hope is there for all us sinners who can follow a million different paths, ignoring the Dead End sign at the top of the street?
It takes a humble soul to know it: There, but for the grace of God, go I.
But it’s absolutely by grace that any of us are saved from any of the traps and snares of the enemy of our souls. And what a dangerous trap — perhaps the most dangerous trap — pride can be.
Read Solomon’s words here with a humble heart, and do exactly what Jesus tells us to do: make “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” a daily prayer.
Many a greater woman than I has fallen prey and gotten caught in a trap of one kind or another. Walked a dead end street looking for God knows what.
The Good Word puts it this way in 1 Peter 5: Be sober, be vigilant, because your enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
This — the place of temptation — is a powerful place to be most honest. Years ago, I was struggling with a temptation that wouldn’t leave my thoughts alone, and it troubled me that it was troubling me. I knew what the right thing to do was, but fear of somehow falling meant this struggle was never far from my thoughts. I called a friend I trusted and said, “This is going to sound weird, but I feel like I need to confess this thing I’m struggling with to you.”
The moment the words were out of my mouth, it felt like an arrow of the enemy that was whizzing straight toward my head had fallen to the ground.
There is so much power in the secrecy and shame of temptation. The enemy holds the upper hand in the darkness — but he cannot stand when we bring things into the light.
This is why we so deeply need wisdom, and why we look to the one who endured every temptation without sin — and we trust Him to take us by the hand, and lead us always toward the path that leads to life. We lean into Jesus, and lean on the friends that will help us walk the walk we want to talk.
Lean hard into Jesus today, my friends. This hard season is not forever. God will see us through this, too! And we will see how He worked it out for our good when we get to the other side.
xCC
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I sure hope this was an encouragement to you today! Could you use some more encouragement during this crazy pandemic? If so, you can subscribe and never miss my (weekly) posts by clicking right here. I’ll do a happy dance, and you’ll get encouraging words in your inbox once a week! (I’ll also send you an awesome Meal Plan Step-by-Step Guide… Definitely a win/win!Hint: I Instant Pot like nobody’s business.
***
Some posts on my site contain affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, I receive compensation at no extra cost to you. I love it when you do that! Thank you for supporting With Love!
Hi there! In case you missed it, I extended an invitation a few weeks ago to join me in walking through Proverbs. Jump in ANY time. You can read the chapter we’re looking at before reading on (optional but definitely good for you if you can swing it!) I also recommend asking a friend to join you on the journey. (Click this link to take you to the introduction to this series if you want to know more.) I think we might need this wisdom these days more than ever!
First things first, beware! This section of Proverbs can seem a little “irrelevant” to us if we’re not careful. Aren’t we long past the days of lending large sums of money to friends? Doesn’t everybody just go to the bank? Do people still co-sign on loans for people they’re not related to?
While I’m certain there are still folks signing on the dotted line when they shouldn’t be — it’s not just a matter of saying you’ll cover something when someone else is receiving the benefits of a loan. The core point might be stated like this. Every yes is also a no. Be careful, therefore, what you’re willing to say yes to.
Disney Dreams
A few years ago, a friend shared a crazy story with us at a small group meeting. One year, he’d worked particularly crazy hard. He’d taken on extra speaking opportunities and been a director at special events. He said the “warm blanket of significance of importance and affirmation” along with the people-pleaser genes pushed him to say yes again and again.
He began justifying all these extra “opportunities” by planning a Christmas trip to Disney for his family, spending significant amounts of time away, way more often than he’d ever intended. Pulling into Orlando for the big event the family stopped at a grocery store to pick up some provisions for the week. Next, his 5 year old threw up on the floor of the grocery store. And like that — all the saving and work and time away from his family? It seemed to disappear like a puff of smoke, right before his eyes.
I interviewed him about this crazy story, because he had a few key take-aways to share, and this bullet point list about sums it up:
The stomach bug usually only lasts 24 hours
Until the second kid catches it on day 2 of the epic family vacay
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Don’t put any puke into a paper fast food bag in the minivan
Wasted money is way more replaceable than wasted time
When it comes to time with your kids: quantity over quality, always
If you say “no” to the extra job or whatever, they’ll just ask the next person on the list
Our world is in a crazy place right now. We all feel kind of upside down and sideways. We’re wrestling to figure out what ‘normal’ is supposed to look like in this season. Life feels kind of scary, am I right?
I keep thinking this one thing that I want to remember (and share):
Inside every challenge, struggle, or problem, there’s always an opportunity.
Even facing the possibility of losing a child last year, we discovery opportunity. To grow in our faith. To share our faith. To experience the incredible love and care of our community. To strengthen our family.
This is something God does: He takes indescribably, unimaginably hard things and turns them into something beautiful.
So what are we going to do with the time on our hands?
And can we all recite this key point my friend made, one more time? Wasted money is way more replaceable than wasted time.
Reflect with me for a moment. There’s this crazy warning here in Proverbs 6: Don’t get caught in the snare of debt. Don’t put your family at risk by taking on a debt you might someday be asked to repay. And maybe we need to consider that the debt can sometimes look less like a loan at the bank, and sometimes more like the things you’ve said yes to, the contracts you’ve signed, the commitments you’ve made. Wasted money is way more replaceable than wasted time.
A yes to something is always, always also a no to something else.
Rethink that word faithful we talked about back in Proverbs 5 and remember: faithfulness will look different for you from how it looks for everybody else. God can, and does, write 7 billion stories simultaneously. What does He want to write with yours? And is it possible you’ve been committing yourself to things that make following the story He wants to write with you impossible?
This is the quiet our souls have probably been waiting for. Before the world gets loud again, embrace the quiet and get still. You are going to jump back into life again. This thing is not forever.
Ask: What do you want to be true a month from now? With regard to your life, or your routines, or your family relationships… is this slowing down of the pace showing you anything?
It’s not that it’s wrong to take your kids to Disney or save up for some other big and special event. Heaven knows we believe in traveling around these parts!!
But the good, friends, the good is so often the enemy of the best.
And we can find ourselves trapped in chasing after the good, while the best is the opportunity cost we just can’t have if we choose the good.
The Message puts it this way:
“If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold, Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess…”
Let’s aim at saying yes to God’s best… xCC
Now… Could you give a few moments to some yeses and no’s you’ve made recently? Is there a common denominator that typically ties together the yeses you wish you hadn’t “yes’d”? Or to the no’s you should’ve “yes’d”? Could there be a Disney dream you’re chasing — and at what cost? Ask Jesus for wisdom and perspective.
*** I sure hope this was an encouragement to you today! Could you use some more encouragement during this crazy pandemic? If so, you can subscribe and never miss my (weekly) posts by clicking right here. I’ll do a happy dance, and you’ll get encouraging words in your inbox once a week! (I’ll also send you an awesome Meal Plan Step-by-Step Guide… Definitely a win/win!Hint: I Instant Pot like nobody’s business. ***
Some posts on my site contain affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, I receive compensation at no extra cost to you. I love it when you do that! Thank you for supporting With Love!
Right from the outset, I think you and I have something in common to talk about, no matter where you are on planet Earth. We’ve never faced a pandemic like COVID-19. But here we are, friend. We’re facing it. And my sole purpose in clickety-clacking my fingers across the keys today is to encourage you with a few simple ideas. I hope these practical steps will help you face this thing with bravery and perseverance so that someday you’ll look back and smile, thinking about what important things were forged in your soul in this very hard place.
Neither of us have much experience in this particular area, I know. It’s hard to know what next steps to take. But last year, my eight-year-old, Blake, was in the hospital for a long and heavy seven week period. (Many of you who’ve read here for a while know this already!) Living in crisis mode for an extended period taught a few lessons to my soul — both because of successes and because of great mistakes. So from one human being to another, I’m hoping to impart a little bit of hope and strength and grace to you, out of one life-or-death journey, believing it can speak to another life-or-death journey — the one we’re all facing right now.
I’ve put this advice inside four simple points, and I hope they will be a breath of encouraging fresh air to your soul…
1. Establish a (Temporary) New Normal
One of the greatest things you can do for yourself right now is decide how you are going to live during this unique season. For many of us, the new normal is confinement at home. Isolation is hard. We were created to live in community. Out of love for our neighbors, isolation and helping reduce the spread of this virus is a great choice. For those who are health care workers, we are praying for you. As you may find yourself isolated at a hospital instead of outside of it, I pray you can find a temporary new normal as well. Here are some suggestions for what establishing a routine could look like.
Get up at the same time every day. Shower and get dressed. Just because you’re not leaving your house doesn’t mean you don’t still have a life to live and work to do. Many people who regularly work from home speak to the benefits of getting dressed and treating their day like a work day, even if the commute is from the kitchen to the home office.
Exercise. Your body needs this now, like always. Try downloading an app on your phone to guide you through a workout or hit your own home gym if you have one. Exercise will boost your mood, reduce the risk of depression, and mean you don’t develop a COVID-15 during COVID-19.
Plan your day. This is especially helpful if you have children. {I’ve shared some ideas for all you suddenly homeschooling parents right here.} If you can continue to work from home, schedule the hours where you’ll be doing that work. When is lunch? When is quitting time? Don’t let the hours drag on and blur together. A schedule and rhythm for the day gives peace and order to the souls of the children in our care — but I’m confident it can benefit us adults just as much. Sometimes, when we’re feeling discouraged by the weight of what’s happening in our world, we need a little schedule to tell us what to do, to encourage us to keep going.
“One foot in front of the other” was forged into our souls last year, and it’s great advice. Maybe this is a great time to check in with old friends — schedule some catch-up calls. Maybe it’s time to finish that project you started and shoved in a closet last year. The point is, don’t let your day happen to you. You get to decide what to do with the time you’ve been given.
Go to Bed at a Reasonable Time. This is the shampoo, rinse, repeat part of the equation. Now is NOT the time to start a bingewatching habit. Go to bed at a reasonable time so that you can get up, exercise, get dressed and live fully into the routine you’re establishing for yourself. Your body needs rest — probably more rest than you were giving it a few months ago. This could be the time to establish a new normal that you’ll want to carry on once the world is back in business.
2. Stay Informed, But Don’t Stay Afraid
When we had no idea whether or not our son was going to survive, we did everything we could to understand as much as we possibly could understand about his condition. We knew what each of those wavy lines meant that moved across the vital signs monitor above his bed. We knew when his ICP’s were getting too high. We watched pulse Oxygen, blood pressure, heart rate and EEGs with fierce affection. With a non-medical educational background, I was swimming in foreign territory, but I learned the waters quickly and began praying very specifically.
Sometimes, though, there was a whisper that came to my soul and taught me something new about trust: Keep Your Eyes Above the Waves. Those six words were a whisper to my heart that spoke volumes. Yes, Blake was in grave danger. Yes, those numbers on that screen mattered. But God was (and is) still on the throne. I had to trust that He had the final say in whether Blake would survive.
It is important for us to know what is going on in our communities. If there is a Shelter in Place, barring some significant internal conviction of the Holy Spirit, it is right for us to obey it. If help is needed in our community, we should be aware and help when and how we are able. The bell curves and bar graphs will continue to fluctuate like waves across our screens. More people are contracting this virus. More people are dying. We must come to a place where we are certain in our hearts that the voice that spoke and calmed the Sea of Galilee can speak and calm the waves crashing around our world right now. We will trust Him and we will pray for Him to do exactly that, and be glorified in all of this.
3. Live On, and Live With Gratitude
If you’re reading these words, you are still here. You still have breath in your lungs and a life to live. Don’t stop living this one precious life you’ve been given. We learned this in our own forty-eight-day fire last year: every hard place is also an opportunity. We grew closer as a family. We experienced this incredible wrapping-around-us love from our community that was unlike anything we’d ever felt before. And we felt the nearness of God — as He truly does come close to those who are weary and heavy-hearted, burdened and facing hard places. And, as incredulous as it sounds to say it, there are precious moments from that season that we look back on with fondness and even miss, now that they are in the rear-view mirror.
If you see this season as an opportunity, and you choose to hold tight to the hand rails, trusting God to bring you safely through this roller-coaster ride, you might find gifts in unexpected places. We are losing loved ones, and it is heavy. It is right to grieve. It is right to feel sad. This is not an encouragement to force yourself into unrealistic emotions. But it is a challenge to remember to keep living. To trust the sun will shine again. To remember this season is not forever.
You can live this out practically by cooking good meals. Enjoy the loved ones that may join you in isolation. Try something new that you might continue to do when all this has passed, like watching a cooking class or learning to identify different species of birds. Try learning a new language or try your hand at calligraphy or watercolor. The key ingredient is to look for the gifts. Give thanks when you hear a bird chirping outside. Give thanks for the food you have on your table. Give thanks for the loved ones you have nearby, or the ones you can communicate with thanks to technology. And give thanks for that tech!
4. Choose to Believe ‘It is Well’ — No Matter What
Last, I’m reflecting on one more moment in my journey last year that built strength into my soul and gave me peace for the journey. Close to two weeks into our hospital journey, I was pacing the halls trying to articulate something to a friend on the phone. I came to this conclusion. “I have to come to a place in my soul where I’m not putting my hope in Blake surviving this. I have to put my faith in the goodness of God, no matter what.” Was I going to pray like crazy for our son to be healed? Absolutely. But I also just felt I couldn’t live in this limbo, I needed to get to a place in my soul where I could say, “Lord, I’m going to trust you — No Matter What. I believe You are good. I believe I will see Your goodness here. Somehow, You will make this good. I won’t stop loving You or following You. No. Matter. What.”
If you are a believer, I want to encourage you to find a place in your soul to say the same thing. Goodness is in the very character, the very nature of God. There is brokenness in this world, yes. There has been ever since the Fall. But He is always in the business of redeeming. He is always in the business of making broken things beautiful.
Friends, this is indeed a hard place. It is hard to live in uncertainty. It is hard to live not knowing what tomorrow will bring. But Corrie Ten Boom put it so eloquently when she said,
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
We truly never know what tomorrow will bring. But we should never stop believing in the God who does.
xCC
I sure hope this was an encouragement to you today! Could you use some more encouragement during this crazy pandemic? If so, you can subscribe and never miss my (weekly) posts by clicking right here. I’ll do a happy dance, and you’ll get encouraging words in your inbox once a week! (I’ll also send you an awesome Meal Plan Step-by-Step Guide… Definitely a win/win!Hint: I Instant Pot like nobody’s business.
Some posts on my site contain affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, I receive compensation at no extra cost to you. I love it when you do that! Thank you for supporting With Love!
Hi there! In case you missed it, I extended an invitation a few weeks ago to join me in walking through Proverbs. Jump in ANY time. You can read the chapter we’re looking at before reading on (optional but definitely good for you if you can swing it!) I also recommend asking a friend to join you on the journey. (Click this link to take you to the introduction to this series if you want to know more.) I think we might need this wisdom these days more than ever!
One of my kids asked a very important theological question at the dinner table: Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons? We discussed the possibility that they did, just for show, and the possibility that they didn’t, since they would not have had an umbilical cord, being created by God Himself and all.
One confident child amongst the bunch made a suggestion he was sure would answer the question:
“I know, Mom! Ask Siri!”
It took a while to explain that there are some questions Siri, or the entirety of the internet, just can’t answer.
Do you give much thought to how truth and opinions — both good and bad — can pass down from one one person to the next, or even one generation to the next? What do we believe about coronavirus? Do we believe God is still on the throne? Do we believe He can use anything for His purposes and His glory?
Someday when they’ve left the nest, where will my kids look for wisdom?
Out of all the hundreds of thoughts, lessons and observations a father might give to a son, Solomon writes in Proverbs 4 that one thing King David said to future-King Solomon stood out the most:
Get Wisdom!! Get understanding!!
It stuck with Solomon, right down to his core, because long after David had passed on, the Lord asked Solomon “What do you want?” and though he could’ve asked for anything, what did he ask for?
Wisdom. Understanding. A wise heart to rule well.
The lesson of the father was passed on to the son.
We might have a lot of knowledge readily available at our fingertips. But how does that knowledge compare with true wisdom?
After taking a total media hiatus over Lent a couple of years ago, I began making an interesting observation upon re-entry to the worlds of Facebook, Instagram and other social media.
I found that after spending twenty minutes randomly scrolling through the news feed, I almost always had a less positive feeling about my life than I did twenty minutes earlier.
The news feed shows me friends getting together with friends, and I am not there.
The news feed shows me places other people are going that I haven’t been.
The news feed shows me things other people are doing I never heard I could do. Or didn’t know I needed to do. Or wasn’t invited to do.
These days, the news feed is full of fear and concern.
Why is it that my heart sometimes feels so heavy after twenty minutes on Facebook?
Lady Wisdom — the gal we talked about in Proverbs 2 who truly ought to be a BFF to each of us — she makes an appearance again here in Chapter 4. We’re told that her wisdom, her good judgment is the best thing we can look for in all the world.
Clearly the man who asked for wisdom and got it didn’t regret his decision.
Wisdom is like a gift card that you can spend at a store called Perspective. Bring that life dilemma to the checkout, present the Wisdom card, and boom — you will walk out with a completely different perspective on your situation than the one you walked in with.
It can guard these prone-to-wander hearts of ours (v. 23) in a way that will completely change our lives.
It can speak truth when the news feed whispers false perspectives or wants to encourage FEAR over FAITH.
So here’s a question worth pondering. What will the information you take in each day do for you?
Will it make you want better hair and nicer clothes?
Will your social media soirees make you feel like you’re just not as cool as the cool kids who are going here and there, wearing this and that, doing that and this?
Will the words you’re taking in encourage faith and hope, wisdom and discretion and bravery… or will they make your heart beat a little faster with fear for what’s going on the world?
While the shouts of the world lead your heart away from truth, beauty and goodness, Lady Wisdom whispers:
I will show you a better way. Don’t let seeking after things that don’t matter determine the course of your life.
Guard your heart, let my words filter out the noise so that the Truth can direct your steps.
What are you digging into when you open your phone or laptop, or turn on the TV? What are the habits determining your course of action at the end of a workday, or after the ring of the alarm clock?
Your heart’s going to determine the course of your life, and what you’re taking to heart most will be where most of your truth is coming from.
Ponder Solomon’s words, Lady Wisdom’s whispers today:
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
xCC
Now… give some thought to what you believe about your life today. Ask Jesus to help you see where you’re believing the truth about your life, and where the world might be shouting a little too loudly for you to hear the real Truth.
*** In case you missed it, I shared a post this week with lots of tips and ideas for the many families who find themselves suddenly homeschooling thanks to COVID-19. You can check it out right here!
Hi there! In case you missed it, I extended an invitation a few weeks ago to join me in walking through Proverbs. Jump in ANY time. You can read the chapter we’re looking at before reading on (optional but definitely good for you if you can swing it!) I also recommend asking a friend to join you on the journey. (Click this link to take you to the introduction to this series if you want to know more.)
Think fast! I’ve got two flashback challenges for you!
1. Can you remember the difference between declarative and imperative sentences from your middle school English class?
2. Can you remember playing Follow the Leader as a kid on the playground?
Think hard, and read on…
There’s something that stands out to me about this particular collection of Proverbs (in chapter 3) more than anything else. So many of the Proverbs are observations. If you’re lazy, this is what will happen. Foolish people do this or that. Wise people go this way or that way…
But rather than being ‘observational’ this chapter seems particularly directional. If you were examining the grammar sentence by sentence, you might notice a change from ‘declarative’ to ‘imperative.’ We’re being told — do this and reap the good fruit of it. Go this way and find life.
My tenderhearted second son found some beloved books at the library years ago about Otis, a sweet little tractor on a farm. He loves Otis, and we’ve checked out those books again and again. {Here’s a link if you want to fall in love with Otis, too…Otis and the Kittens makes me cry EVERY time.} In one of the stories, Otis and the other animals play a game of the follow the leader every evening when their work is done. While Otis and the little calf always start, the different animals take turns waddling or prancing or strutting their way around the farm, with everyone else following the leader.
One day a tornado comes up, and the farmer and his hands hurry to the cellar, without even the time to free the animals from their pens. Otis sees the tornado, realizes it’s headed straight for the barn, and springs into action to free the horse and cow and pigs and sheep and ducks from their stalls in the barn, and they do precisely what they’ve been practicing for as long as we know: they follow Otis, the leader, as he leads them down to a low ditch on the lowest part of the farm, where they huddle together in safety and wait out the storm.
Even the bull who has never wanted to play before and has always been harsh with the other animals is willing to follow Otis when Otis leaves the other animals safely in the ditch to free the bull from his pen.
When we listen to the ‘imperatives’ — the instruction and the wisdom of God and His word, we may not realize we are being trained to follow the Leader who has a plan for our souls.
Who knows how often listening to that gentle whisper from the Holy Spirit has saved your life, or someone else’s?
As we continue reading the Good Word and talking to the Lord about His goodness and our races with and toward Him, ask God to help you find understanding, and find a way to apply those imperatives to your life.
He says give your first fruits, so follow the Leader, and give your first fruits. He says look for wisdom, so follow the Leader, and keep on reading the Word and asking for understanding. He says accept His correction, so be willing to hear Him when He corrects you. Repent quickly and ask for help to better follow the Leader. He says mercy and truth are good. Live like that.
He sent His Son as an Incarnation of His mercy and truth, a tangible, visible manifestation of His love for mankind — His very Word, fully expressed in human form. Isn’t He a Leader worth following?
So here’s a question worth a good ponder: Are you willing to follow the Leader? Are you willing to follow Him day after day like most of the animals on the farm followed Otis, or are you waiting until a tornado of trouble is headed your way to lean on Him to lead you to safety?
You might be familiar with Prov. 3:5-6… perhaps even have a little song in your head for those two verses? Even if they’re extremely familiar, give those words a fresh look today. The New Living Translation puts verse 6 this way:
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
He’s not only willing to show us which path to take, He’s the Leader that’s willing to walk us down the path, step by step. Are you willing to follow the Leader?
xCC
Now… take a moment to give some thought to how you make decisions about your life. Are they part of a game of Follow the Leader for you, or are you mostly letting instincts and intellect call the shots? If you want Jesus to be the Leader you follow, ask Him to help you hear His voice, and follow it. Write down a verse that meant something to you today, or a whisper from the heart of Jesus you heard. I’d love to welcome you to jump onto the With Love, From Here Facebook Page if you’d like to respond to this post and share something God has said! *** I hope you’re encouraged today, friend. If so, I’d love to welcome you to subscribe here for a weekly dose of encouragement and never miss a post! ***
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I create resources to help people find deeper, more meaningful relationships with God through pursuing, pondering, and prayer. The "Shop" link above will take you to the home of many of the lovely resources I’ve created to help you keep walking one day deeper with Jesus.
I create resources to help people find deeper, more meaningful relationships with God through pursuing, pondering, and prayer. The "Shop" link above will take you to the home of many of the lovely resources I’ve created to help you keep walking one day deeper with Jesus.