Proverbs

I can't believe that I am already into Proverbs. This is absolutely amazing! I think I definitely will be able to finish reading the entire Bible by the end of this year, which was my goal. I love the book of Proverbs, I think because it is so easy to read. Each little passage is short and sweet, yet packs a huge message.

A lot of the proverbs I have been reading talk about wisdom, and how God created wisdom in the beginning and how we should always be seeking wisdom from God. I guess sometimes I forget that. I forget that we actually need God's wisdom to make decisions, to actually move on in our lives to new endeavors. Most of the time I rely on myself first, and God second. Why is that? Why as humans do we feel the need to rely solely on ourselves until we fail miserably, and then turn to God?

I have been working on that a lot recently. Making sure that I start my day with prayers praising God, and then asking for him to give me wisdom when making decisions throughout the day. I've found that I don't need wisdom ONLY for the big decisions, but the everyday decisions and situations. To think about whether I should be saying something at work, as I am the only Christian there, and need to make myself a good example. To think about how I dress each morning, and know if it is modest, or if it may be crossing a line.

One of my favorite verses out of Proverbs is Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

That is really powerful to me, because as I said before I tend to rely on myself first. How can I get past that? Well, I am hoping that my diligence in Bible study, as well as a lot of prayer helps me turn from my own ways. I think this will always be a struggle, because we, as humans, will never be perfect. Perhaps someday I will be able to humble myself enough to realize that God is the only way I am going to feel peace and make the right choices for my life. For now I hope that copious amounts of prayer help me to find what God truly wants for my life.

Bible study and prayer in the morning

I was inspired a while back to try and get up early in the morning to study God's word. I used to have a quiet time everyday, but then life seemed to get in the way. And when that happens I tend to start trying to do things on my own strength without asking for God's help...and it is always a disaster where I find myself humbled and running as fast as I can back into the arms of my God to help me with whatever I have seriously screwed up.

I have to say, I thought getting up at 5am was going to be horrible, not that I haven't done it before, and not that getting up at 5:30am is much different. I actually find now that I am waking up at 4:30am in anticipation of the alarm going off. I haven't made the jump to get up that early yet, but maybe I should.

I am able to have about an hour of quiet time in the morning now, just reading God's word and praying and readying myself for the day. I feel stronger, not tired, more energetic. Words that I rarely would use to describe myself before these past weeks. And a big one, happy! It's so much better when I am happy, obvious statement right? I think that it is a joint effort between reading God's word, and God providing the enormous amount of sunshine that I have seen in the past few weeks. There is something about waking up with the sun streaming in the windows that makes it that much easier to climb out of bed.

So what will happen once it is cold and snowy again? Well, I'm hoping that I can continue to get up, and that God will give me the strength to endure the very very very long winter that Maine has to offer...does anyone else have an issue with snow in April? Just curious ;-) Anyways, I am in a good place right now, and that is excellent. Life finally seems to be settling slightly, and maybe I can relax and look forward to the new adventures that will be coming hopefully soon in our lives.

Job

I have been reading Job the past few days. What an inspiring book of the Bible. It's amazing to me that Job lost all of his riches, his children and ended up with nothing but boils on his skin, yet he was still praising God. I think that Job demonstrates a need to simplify our lives. He had nothing, and was sick, and still praised God. Why is it so hard for me to do the same?

I'm not asking for sickness, believe me I have had my fair share, but definitely getting rid of the "stuff" in my life should be easy. And I think that having less stuff equals more time to concentrate on God, and what he has in store for my life.

It is kind of funny, now that I am trying to reduce my impact on the earth, all the passages I read seem to speak to me on some level about reducing the things I have in my life, looking to God more, and spending more time reading the Bible, and just being content with less. It is great! I do feel more fulfilled, not as bogged down. I can't tell you how many times I watched the news when we were down in Mass and there was another murder in Dorchester...actually that was everyday. Now I don't even watch the Maine news, and I am happier for it.

I do still check in online to make sure I haven't missed some huge piece of news, but for the most part, I am better off not knowing all the troubles that are going on in the world. It makes for a happier, more peaceful existence, and that is definitely my goal right now.

I'm not sure if I wrote this yet or not, but Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly is going on a trek around the country to make people more aware of being green. She and her husband are converting an RV to run on veggie oil. How cool is that?! She is extremely inspirational to me, although I just don't know if I could do all that she does! She is definitely simplifying her lifestyle, and I think we could all learn a little bit from her about what is important and what isn't.

I shall leave you with a quote from the book of Job:

Job 2:10a

"Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?"

Proverbs 31

I have read a lot recently about a "Proverbs 31 Woman." I must say that I don't ever remember reading this passage in the Bible before. I'm sure at some point I had heard about this passage, and what it means, but I couldn't think of it when I heard about it recently. So, I turned to my trusty Bible, opened up to Proverbs 31, and here is what is written:

Proverbs 31

The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:
What, my Son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the case of the poor and needy.

Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all."
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.


What a powerful message this is to all women. I think that it gives something to strive for. This is what I want to be. I want to be able to do all the things above. Whether or not I will ever achieve the title "Proverbs 31 Woman," I have no idea, but I have to at least try. Over the next few months I hope to look at each verse more closely, and figure out what it all means. I am excited for this study, and hope that others find it as interesting as I do.

changes

I have been looking at so many blogs lately, it is making my head spin. There are so many women out there doing what I would like to do, raise a family and be a homemaker. But, since I don't have any kids, I guess I really can't do that right now. But, these women seem to be fearless. They are strong in their convictions, strong in their relationship with God, and strong in their place in their homes. How amazing these women are, and how much I strive to be like them. Someday.

I would like to start reading my Bible more. Since we moved into the house I have been diligent to get up with the husband, he wakes up at 5am so he can leave for work at 6am, and read my Bible during the week. I feel like it isn't enough though. I sit and read, and just want to keep reading, only to realize that it is 6:30 and I have to start getting ready for work. I have gotten my morning routine down to about 25 minutes so that I can sit down again and read more of the Bible and meditate on the words. I want more though. I am hungry for more.

I decided a while back that I really wanted to read through the entire Bible. I haven't done it before, and I can't figure out why. I went to a Christian college, took Bible courses, but never managed to get through the entire thing. Well, I think that my main problem was the Old Testament. Especially Leveticus, Numbers, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles. Most of the other books seem to be very easy. But, some of the names of people and the extensive rules are hard to swallow. I need to pray hard to get through those books. Well, luckily I have just finished I Chronicles, and tomorrow will begin II Chronicles.

It is awesome to be reading God's word everyday. I feel more alive, more at peace, and understand more of His message to me. It is amazing how peaceful that can be. At the same time, I am by no means doing a good job, and know that I can do so much more. I tend to read more then study the Bible, I don't memorize verses the way I should, and I don't pray like I should. Instead, I tend to have a somewhat pointless (on my part) tangent filled prayer life. I struggle between having a personal relationship with Jesus and giving God the glory he deserves. Maybe that sounds silly, but when I pray I tend to go off on tangents, and then catch myself thinking, why in the world would I bother God with that. But, at the same time, I do feel like I can talk to God about anything, and want to be able to talk to Him like a friend. Maybe I am doing fine.

So let's say the way I pray is fine. But what about the time I spend praying? Aren't we as Christians supposed to be constantly in prayer? That is not how I am at all. In fact, I find that I just don't pray, not because I don't want to, but because I don't think about it. It needs to be more prevelant in my life, it needs to be at the forefront of my thoughts. How is it that I can call myself a Christian when I am not in constant communication with my maker? These are all questions that I struggle with daily, and assume I will continue to struggle about.

Overall, I need to STUDY my Bible, not just read it, I need to be in CONSTANT PRAYER, and I need to praise and honor God through my actions...but how do I go about changing when I am such a sinful person?