Proverbs, chapter 31

As we finish our study of the book of Proverbs today I am reminded of the greatest piece of wisdom I have received from this book. I thought about this last night as I was driving home from Lafayette. I had reached a major moment in my writing career by being asked to cover the Purdue-Wake Forest game as a member of the press. This was a huge step forward. I wasn’t getting this because I worked for a newspaper. This was a direct result of something I had built from scratch that was now fully recognized.

The night could not have gone worse. There were traffic problems, problems getting in the Arena, computer problems, you name it. By the time I got started I was so flustered that my in-game coverage was not quite what people were looking for. I had screwed up badly. I had screwed up so badly that I found out at the end of the night I may have hurt my chances of being asked back to press row. It wasn’t because I acted unprofessionally. It was because I put myself into the equation too much in my coverage.

Ultimately, that is the main thing that the book of Proverbs tries to teach us. It is the removal of the self and the reliance on Godly Wisdom that we have seen as the key lesson of the last 31 chapters. I can even see it in writing about this book. If I tried to write about what I thought things meant I would get stopped. If I sat and let God’s wisdom flow through me it even felt different, like I wasn’t controlling the keyboard anymore.

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. – Proverbs 31:30-31

Though this last portion is about a wife of noble character it can apply to all of us. The key is to always fear and follow the Lord. As I was lying in bed this morning praying that I would have the strength to merely get out of bed I knew that the only thing I had control of was swinging my feet over the side. Now that I am out of bed it is up to God to come with the rest of the plan for today. I certainly can’t do it on my own.