sweetslice: 2011

Proverbs 3

The Rewards of Wisdom

¹ My son, do not forget my ^[a]teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
² For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
³ Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
I need to do this, to keep kindness and truth bound to me like a collar, keeping me from spreading gossip or facilitating drama or letting quarrels and disputes continue in the church. Kindness can dispel these things like a gentle word to wrath and truth will eliminate false.
⁴ So you will find favor and good ^[b]repute
In the sight of God and man.

How often do I worry about what people think. I need to worry less and focus on what the word says brings good repute!
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.

My own understanding... this makes me laugh, because how many times have I jumped to conclusions and had to eat crow when I knew I should be patient.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

HE will my MY paths straights. When I worry about tomorrow and whether my actions will be questioned or my job will be compromised... I can remember that HE is making my paths straight, when I acknowledge he is the one in control and give that control to him every day.
⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
Or a wise ass.
⁸ It will be healing to your ^[c]body
And refreshment to your bones.
⁹ Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;
From the first of what I earn. I am so glad we are setting up a tithe in 2012. I am actually excited to be giving to the Lord, which is sort of a first. It doesn't feel like an obligation, it feels like a priority.
¹⁰ So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine
I wonder if the writer meant emotionally/spiritually or literally
¹¹ My son, do not reject the ^[d]discipline of the LORD
Or loathe His reproof,
¹² For whom the LORD loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
¹³ How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
¹⁴ For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
This is so true. How often do I desire wisdom in day to day situations? The wisdom of dealing with people. I seek to learn this, to add to my discernment with wisdom of response.
¹⁵ She is more precious than ^[e]jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.
¹⁶ ^[f]Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are peace.
¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast.
¹⁹ The LORD by wisdom founded the earth,
By understanding He established the heavens.
²⁰ By His knowledge the deeps were broken up
And the skies drip with dew.
²¹ My son, let them not ^[g]vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
²² So they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck.
²³ Then you will walk in your way securely
And your foot will not stumble.
Securely! Suggesting a confidence I often lack.
²⁴ When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
²⁵ Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the ^[h]onslaught of the wicked when it comes;
²⁶ For the LORD will be ^[i]your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught.
²⁷ Do not withhold good from ^[j]those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
²⁹ Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
³⁰ Do not contend with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
³¹ Do not envy a man of violence
And do not choose any of his ways.
³² For the devious are an abomination to the LORD;
But ^[k]He is intimate with the upright.
³³ The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴ Though He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.
³⁵ The wise will inherit honor,
But fools ^[l]display dishonor.
Display dishonor, like rash immature responses. Inherit honor. Be wise. Seek wisdom. Grow.

My best friend lost a child almost two months ago. She is so strong. When this sort of thing happens, you expect the death to become a taboo subject, almost like the very mention of his name (Owen) will throw salt into a never-healing wound. And maybe it does. But I'm learning that the pain of remembering is worth the memory itself. He remains in our hearts and on our minds and the fact that he is still part of the conversation is a tribute to that fact.

Oddly, even though it's been a while, it still hits me like a freight train that he is gone. It wasn't exactly sudden but he'd been sick so long, I sure didn't expect it. So I'll see a picture of him on FB and I'll sit and remember a moment with him, a smile or a shy moment where he hid his face... and the fact that it doesn't happen anymore will make me realize -- again -- that he's truly gone. I hate that word. Gone. I guess he's not gone, just transferred. He took the early train to Glory Land.

Death has been a silent obsession of mine since Matt died. I absolutely do not grasp it. I only grasp the absence of someone. Usually when I cry it is for the people who've lost someone or for my own loneliness when I do miss someone in a specific instance, particularly my Grandma. Maybe that's why it's such an obsession and I fear death SO much in my close family because if I lost Jake or Braeden, it would be every single day that I would feel that loss of presence and maybe then I would finally understand death.

sweetslice

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Proverbs 3

The Rewards of Wisdom

Monday, April 4, 2011

sigh

Friday, February 11, 2011

Lord