Day 13 of Proverbs Read-Along

"I (Wisdom) love all who love me.  Those who search for me will surely find me.  Unending riches, honor, wealth, and justice are mine to distribute.  My gifts are better than the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver!"  Proverbs 8:17-19
"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding."  Proverbs 9:10

Can anyone tell me where the last 13 days have gone?!  With the end of school, 2 on the 20th and my youngest just this week on the 25th; a graduation; softball  tournaments, games, practices & a video session; packing and planning for a week long tournament in Colorado; and getting meals, games, and organizing the house for the rest of the family while I'm gone, there just doesn't seem to be enough time & energy in a day to do everything!  And that doesn't include all the extras that happened this week, like a shredded tire while driving 60 mph down Rt. 80, dogs with upset tummies = a lot of carpet cleaning, and kids cleaning out their rooms resulting in a mountain of laundry!  And that's still not everything that went on this week!

Can you relate?  If not this week, I'm sure you've had equally or more harrowing weeks than this.  And yet, we survive, if not thrive through such craziness.  How?  We rely on God to carry us through.  Just when we think we can't handle any more, that's when God steps in and says, "Thanks.  I was hoping you'd ask for some help."  If we've learned anything from our previous studies, it's that we need to recognize that God desires us to lean on Him every day, not just when we're at our wits end.  When we rely on God, and not ourselves, we can handle even the most challenging circumstances and are often blessed in the process. "He will neither fail you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:6b

As we read along in Proverbs, we discover how we should live, what kind of person we should strive to be, and the reward we can expect.  It speaks of Godly vs. wicked people, humility vs. pride, wise vs. foolish, honest people vs. treacherous people, hard workers vs. lazy people and those who accept advice vs. those who don't. 
Personally, I cringe as I read, because I so often see myself and my actions on the wrong side of the "vs.".  But Proverbs is a teaching tool and I'm grateful that I am a work in progress, that God does not expect perfection and that I am SAVED BY GRACE through Jesus Christ!  And, as the verses at the beginning encourage, all who search for wisdom will find it and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  So, begin with fear of the Lord and continue to search for wisdom to live a life of blessing and happiness.

Do you have any favorite verses in these first 13 chapters?  I have too many to list, but let me begin by pointing out that my Bible breaks the book into three sections.  Chapters 1-9 are "Wisdom for Young People", 10-24 are "Wisdom for All People" and 25-31 are "Wisdom for The Leaders".   Did you notice the change between chapters 9 & 10?  Chapter 10 seems to be written in "fortune cookie" form.  Not to equate Solomon's wise advice with fortune cookies, but I often think these verses would be great to receive in a fortune cookie! 
And I love the word pictures that are painted: turning off the flow of our words (10:19); disaster striking like a cyclone and whirling the wicked away (10:25); lazy people being like smoke in the eyes (10:26); Godly people being described as flourishing like leaves in spring (11:28) or trees that bear life-giving fruit (11:30).  But one of my favorites is chapter 11, verse 22, "A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout."  Ouch!  I can picture the satirical cartoon in today's newspaper or as a Facebook post!  Yep, Solomon knows how to paint a picture.

Painting such vivid pictures and using a little humor (there's more, this was just one of my favorites) helps us to remember our lessons.  Solomon was not only a wise leader, but a great teacher in substance and method.  We can learn from what he says AND how he says it.

Finally, there are 2 verses in chapter 13 that I love to quote when it comes to parenting.  I'm a mom, so I see these verses through the eyes of a parent, but they also remind me that I am a child, of my parents, but more importantly of God.  While these verses are applicable to me as a parent parenting my children, I cannot forget that I am first a child of God and He is speaking to me as the child.
"A wise child accepts a parent's discipline; a young mocker refuses to listen." Proverbs 13:1  Overall, my kids are good, but there are days and seasons when they seem more like the 'young mocker' than the 'wise child'.  I know God says this about me, too :) 
My other favorite verse on parenting is #24 "If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don't love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them."  Keeping in mind that "discipline" here means nurture, guide, and correct.  I think this should be printed on every piece of parenting material new parents receive!  We all have our days when we just give-in, but it's sad to see a parent ruled by their 3 year-old, their 7 year-old or their 13 year-old.  Children crave guidance and boundaries, which is why they test them.  And why God's followers are also called children - we are always testing His boundaries and thankfully He lovingly teaches, guides, and corrects.  For those of you who are also parents, find a style that works for you and your child (even children within the same family require different styles of parenting), pray for God's discipline for you, and parent on with grace, confidence, joy, and love knowing that you have the best parent role model and partner: God.

How are you doing with your One Word?  I am still "waiting" for my word to take root deep within - to become and exude the sweet, translucent qualities of honey in my personality. I am challenged nearly every day in this area and fail 9 times out of 10!  But it has inspired my time & efforts.  It helped me put together teacher gift baskets as we said good bye to 3 years of preschool!  It has fueled my desire to seek "natural" cleaners for my home and beauty products and "toys" for my youngest.  It's my style to work from the outside in at a slow and steady pace, so that's what I'm going with.  I'd love to hear from you!  How has it inspired you?  How has it challenged you?  How is the Proverbs read-along enhancing what your One Word is doing in your life?

On Monday my oldest and I will travel to Colorado for a week long softball tournament!  Can I ask for your prayers for safe travel and play, for us, her teammates & parents, and all the participants coming from all over the country and Canada to compete, watch, evaluate, teach, and officiate. 

I don't know yet if I will take my computer, so I may not post next week.  But I will be taking my reading, staying in the Word daily.  Please come to the blog to post about what you are doing and how God is working in you.  I will be able to read the posts in my phone, even if I am not able to write.  I look forward to hearing from each of you!

Your Partner in Ministry,

Shelly - honey  

" Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  Proverbs 16:24