Now I Get It

Today’s scripture: Proverbs 20:21-30 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?

My thoughts (Ben Lamb):

Finally, I figured out what’s been mildly annoying about writing so many Be Still pieces about Proverbs. The book doesn’t tell any smooth-flowing story. There are no dramatic cliff-hangers. There’s no final resolution to any particular problem. There’s no tidy arrangement of the writings into sensibly-arranged chapters. So much of it seems as though the writer(s) choose to ramble on and on instead of saying something once and then moving along.

Come to think of it, this often resembles my own life as well.

I’m not aware of anyone whose life is an endless array of tidy little chapters which magically transition into the next, one systematic flowing event after another. My life often seems like a hodge-podge of chopped-up bits and pieces kind of thrown together.

Only rarely does life throw a genuine cliff-hanging event my way. For this, I am truly grateful.

Although I sometimes think I know how a problem (or even a “non-problem” event) is going to turn out, there’s rarely an absolute definitive end to many situations. It’s at such times as these that I must choose how much emotional baggage to keep dragging around in life.

It’s probably a good thing that Proverbs doesn’t group its handy-dandy sayings into specific topics and arrange the topics alphabetically for quick referencing. I’d likely choose to skip over some of the topics that I most need to read. Often, I’ve been reading along, merrily agreeing with large chunks of the book, but suddenly my peepers do a screeching halt and I have to say, “Ouch. That piece of advice is something which I know is true, yet I don’t want to adhere to it.”

When I was a school teacher, my students sometimes complained about our multiplication and division drills. But, you know what? Those repetition exercises really helped them know those facts thoroughly. I guess I still need to be repeatedly reminded of good ideas throughout my life as well.

Maybe Proverbs is trying to teach me about myself in addition to handing out good advice.

Thought for the day: All our steps are ordered by the Lord; how then can we understand our own ways? Proverbs 20:24

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.