Before I report on my current progress I’d like you to consider how well I’ve done with some of the practical applications in Proverbs 1 and 2. I was stellar in the “do not” department. Here are some examples of ways I’ve heeded your warnings:
• I didn’t waylay any harmless souls.
• I did not lie in wait.
• I avoided throwing in my lot with thieves. (Unless Mafia Wars counts – does it?)
• I didn’t rejoice in the perverseness of evil.
• I did not follow an immoral woman along the path to death (And, for extra credit, I didn’t lead anyone along that path either.)
I’d give myself a passing grade in the following areas as well.
• I paid attention to parental advice.
• I sought wisdom and understanding
I’m not sure how you’d score the final item, but I’m confident that I made progress. I listened more, criticized less, and saw things from another perspective. I get the feeling that you’re setting me up. Just as I began to ooze confidence, I encountered chapter 3.
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablets of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
LOVE and FAITHFULNESS are big ideas. The amplified version gives me a greater sense of my shortcomings. Love = mercy and kindness, shutting out all hatred and selfishness. Faithfulness = truth, shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy. The message puts it this way.
“Don’t lose your grip on love and loyalty, tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and in the eyes of the people.”
How is my grip on love and loyalty? Does the tablet of my heart resemble the art young lovers carve into trees? Or is it more like an inner city pedestrian overpass tagged with hatred, selfishness, and hypocrisy? At the risk of exposing my inner jerk, I will confess that I love my family, and I love Chipotle; but I consistently communicate more approval and satisfaction towards Chipotle. My husband is much more valuable and worthy of my adoration than anything on their menu. Yet my heart is so marred by selfishness and hypocrisy that it ignores him and turns somersaults when the tantalizing aroma of a carnitas burrito wafts into my olfactory range. As much as I’d like to think of myself as a work in progress, sometimes, I’m just a piece of work.
My heart is difficult to fix, but reformation through fashion neckwear could be the answer! I’m experimenting with a silver engraved heart necklace that daughter #2 gave me for Christmas. Each morning I follow your advice and "bind" this symbol of love and loyalty around my neck. Throughout the day I touch it gently to remind me keep my grip. It seems to be effective for everyday circumstances, but it was no match for the conflict I faced at work earlier this week. No amount of toying or fiddling generated warm and devoted feelings toward my employer. For those circumstances, I’ll need to upgrade to a scarf – something more substantial so I can give it a sharper tug. I’m looking for one to keep in my desk drawer.
Can you believe I only made it to verse 3? This project is much harder than I thought it would be. Your advice is changing my life – one nugget at a time.
Thanks,
-bw-
3 comments:
I enjoyed reading your blog. I think God has brought you in to my life - in the indirect way that you are - to teach me a thing or two-hundred. Would be ok if I called you my "contemporary?" I can't say that about many people. I'm looking forward to future posts. ~RB
Okay- well this one leaves me feeling much more upbeat. I'd like to say I've been thinking about the love of Christ. I think in order for us to have a small glimpse of the love he feels for us, we have to be humbled. There's much more depth to his love and faithfulness than our simple perception of it. It's mind-blowing actually when I try to fathom it. Not quite the same feeling of surprise that comes over me upon sinking my teeth into a Chipotle chicken burrito. They are not chinsy with the avocado! Tanya
Thank you for reading. I'm enjoying this writing project. Not sure how much I can teach anyone, but I'm excited to share all that I'm learning and am pleased to have more contemporaries in my life.
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