Tag: Proverbs

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Perfect plans

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord.” Proverbs‬ ‭21‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is both comfort and mystery in this Proverb. It is a mind-boggling proposition to think of the entirety of human existence and total creation of all that exists being examined, challenged or micro-managed from our limited vantage point. Actually, it’s hubris to imagine that we could even begin to understand it. These concepts come under huge words like omniscience, omnipresent, and omnipotent – all knowing, all present and all powerful. The sovereignty of God!

These are big words to understand by us as eternal beings, who are very limited to our physical experience here on earth as created beings. God’s full foreknowledge of everything from OUR physical beginning to our physical end is nearly impossible for us to grasp. Super smart folks can think about someone or something outside of time itself, because time is also a created construct, but honestly, I can’t.

God being above or outside of all creation, means that everything is NOW. All our past is now, our present is now and our future is now. And, I’m not talking about my past, present and future, I’m talking about all of creation! Right there, just thinking about God being outside of time gives a glimpse of the mystery of this proverb. No human “anything” can stand against the Lord. And, neither can any other created thing or being stand against the Lord – even created angels for example. Angels, Satan being one of those, are created beings! They are not omni anything. This word, sovereignty, has been argued about and misapplied for eons! Does God’s foresight and foreknowledge mean that He made it happen – that God determined that it happen? That’s the big question of God’s sovereignty versus humans free will. The theological understanding of eternal security verses human choice or the ability to not believe nor submit to God’s will is a difficult conundrum. This paradox appears to look like God predetermined His acceptance of some and rejection of others.

You should see how this verse touches on this very old argument about God’s sovereignty! If God’s will is that you be saved, can you reject Him? If God’s will is that you be rejected, can you be saved? Hard huh? There are whole groups of people, whole denominations, that are oppositional on this very thing. And they’ve been arguing, disagreeing and divisive about it for hundreds of years.

Where am I on this? What do I believe? I believe in God’s total sovereignty! There’s no way I see the Bible declaring anything contrary. However, I believe in foreknowledge, God’s total knowledge of all things, all decisions. This does not mean that God forced, or made humans to decide one way or another. This comes up most often with two characters in the Bible, Pharaoh and Judas! Moses told us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and the gospels pretty much tell us that Judas was born to betray. Ah, but who knows the human heart and the decisions that those men made at the time. Only God knows that. Who’s to say that they made decisions against God’s will while God continued to convince them otherwise, right up the end of their life. Sooner or later, everyone who believes in God must reconcile this question of how God’s sovereignty works in our our lives beyond just salvation. It should also be settled in our everyday occurrences of pain and suffering. Is there determination behind our tragedies? Is there purpose in our loss and grief when unfathomable evil snatches our loved ones from this planet? I have settled such questions, have you?

Prayer

Dad,
I am thankful that I have only had to settle two big thoughts about your sovereignty. One, I believe you are always right, true and just. And two, I believe I can trust you no matter what circumstances or culture says about who you are. You have always been good and faithful in my life and I have no reason to doubt you in my future.

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Who moved the truth?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Justice, like truth, seems to be a matter of opinion, a perspective. The wisdom writers didn’t have an “open source,” public opinion, social media slant on justice. Wrong was wrong, right was right. Cheating the poor – wrong. Lying for gain – wrong. Bullying and beating the oppressed – wrong. Murder, theft, rape – wrong, wrong, wrong.

The only reason that justice and truth have been blurred or distorted are because some in our culture refuse to acknowledge the God behind such realities. No God – anything goes. No God – no one is right and no one is wrong. There’s only noise, violence and protests. Loud and proud do not equate to justice or truth.

Justice is joy to the godly because there is a judge, an arbitrator who is perfect – always, right, true and yes, JUST. It is terrifying to evil because it strips away the thin veneer of selfishness and ill-gotten gain. Of course, every human wants what we want and do not want anyone or anything to tell us NO, or cross us with the reality that we are wrong!

There is that one creepy story in 1 Kings 3, where Solomon has to judge a difficult decision. Two women, one living child and one dead child. Two stories, both claiming the living child is theirs. No other witnesses, no DNA test – just two plausible stories of what happened on the night in question. Truth seemed to favor BOTH stories, both women. How can that be? Both women are yelling – the living child is mine! Are both telling the truth? The woman whose child died in the night certainly is in pain and now her truth becomes a boldfaced lie. If the living child is going to be raised by one or the other, should it be the real mother or the liar? You know the story. Solomon asks for a sword and tells both women, he will equally give them half a dead child! Done, settled. Both lose a life, but it’s fair, right? Of course the real mother wants her child to live over the other mother’s perceived truth. The real mother speaks first, “please don’t kill my son, give him to her!” The other mother then speaks, “go ahead cut the child in half, that way we both lose.” Solomon gives the child to the real mother and justice is served. Along with it, the godly, those who do right, want to live right rejoice at the decision. Evil would probably rather have seen the child divided to satisfy the “fairness” of the situation. Life is cheap and worthless to evil! If I want to see who believes in justice all I have to do is see who is loud about ideals not caring about the loss of life. True justice should terrify evildoers, because it exposes their lies.

Prayer

Dad,
It is difficult to discuss right and wrong and justice in a world where people have decided that truth is an opinion, a perspective. I ache for your final judgment only for the sake of seeing absolute justice and for all our lies to be exposed. There will be joy and terror in those days. Help us O’ Lord, pour out your Spirit of Truth and give us the chance to make things right with you before that day comes.

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Nap champion verses decision maker

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ramble Warning!

I often tell people that I could win a gold medal in napping if it ever became an Olympic Sport. I love sleep, so shouldn’t I be poor? As a teen, my body grew so fast that I had the growing pains of leg cramps often. For a while, my mom thought I only ate and slept. I remember going through junior high and high school constantly feeling tired. Once I hit my college years I was up early, working, going to school, and staying up late with homework and friend conversations. While in college I was a school bus driver at 19 years old! In between my route pickups I learned to take 10 minute naps. Parked by the side of the road, I would sit in the drivers seat, and take a quick nap. I got so good at it that I didn’t need an alarm, I just woke up refreshed and ready to go. They call it a power nap, but I saw it as a super power!

I write all this to say, this is not what this Proverb is talking about. This Proverb is among the collection of wisdom principles that deal with the fate of the sluggard! Isn’t the word “sluggard,” a visibly-visceral word. A very slow, oozing worm. Its cousin is to be slothful. Pour Sloth, they can’t help it. Both are wonderful word pictures of how NOT to do life! To quote Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Life does move fast, but do you know what moves even faster? Opportunity! The point of these Proverbs is to not let a sleepy, slothful, sluggish eye or way of life rob you of the good things God has in store for you. One commentator said it well, “Open your eyes – Be vigilant and active. That is the secret of prosperity.”

Being an enneagram nine, with its shadow sin of SLOTHFULNESS, means that indecision and peace at all cost oftentimes leaves a person like me – STUCK. Frozen! Trapped by indecision. And, more times than I care to admit, a nap seemed the only way to save my sanity. I could not make a decision so I put myself on pause, my own personal time out. And in that beautiful, blissful, insulated world, I was free from the pain of making the wrong decision or a decision that seemed to cause someone pain. To the outside world it would be seen as though I was being a sluggard, a sloth. I was just defending myself from difficult decisions.

I have been on a journey to push against my sins, my fears, my tendencies to avoid or shut down. It’s still very hard. For those of you who have been mislabeled as lazy, slothful or a sluggard, I understand. Be patient with yourself as you grow and learn to lean into those tough indecisive moments. Sure, take a power nap if needed. Then, ask God for wisdom and make the decision. Just keep moving forward!

Prayer

Dad,
It was certainly a shock to discover you made me this way on purpose! I don’t like being overwhelmed with indecision or feeling the deep pain of being misunderstood when a decision must be made. And, I did feel far more at ease with retreating into myself than I did boldly asking for wisdom. It has been difficult to make the hard choices and decisions that come so fast in life. Yet, where I am weak you have promised to be my strength, and in my weakness your power is made perfect.

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Plan early – plan twice – but stay open.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Plan early, plan twice is a famous military axiom. Proverbs has its own set of wisdom axioms. Many folks believe that Proverbs is all about promises or guarantees, it’s really about principles. Of course, Godly principles are more than just strong suggestions, they have the personified wisdom of all creation, as seen in Jesus life here on earth. I’d bet my life on these Godly principles!

If you have lived a life a faith for any length of time, you’ll realize the dynamic tension of this Proverb. Other translations capture the nuance of this Proverb a little better than NLT. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man…” says another translation. Humans can and should make LOTS of plans! It is one of the wonders, benefits and beauties of being made in God’s image. Should I even make plans since God’s purpose will override them anyways? That’s not really how it works even if it feels like a deterministic exercise. Why should I make plans if God just has His way regardless? See how negative and self-defeating that sounds? God wants us to not only make plans and live a full and wonderful life here on this planet and in this slice of time. He wants us to thrive and do so with gusto and abundance. This isn’t some kind of name & claim it theology, this is how God designed life to be for us from the very beginning. Yeah, there is a requirement in this anticipated life of joy. It’s expected that one is pursuing a godly life, one filled with goodness, rightness, and His truth of justice.

The big mistake is thinking that God is the crusher of dreams and the smiter of all that’s fun. That’s a lie. Pursuing God means pursing good verses chasing after selfish, evil desires. You are aware that there is evil bouncing around in our hearts, right? Quit blaming God for trying to stop us from doing evil!

We will be pleasantly surprised to find out that when we make plans for godly pursuits and good aspirations, that God is right there cheering us on – the breath of God putting wind in our sails. When we are led by the Spirit of God I am 100% positive that those plans are godly and completely within the plans of God himself! And, I am equally confident that when I make plans that are NOT going to turn out well for me and others, that God’s purpose does prevail to turn those plans into something good.

We have been warned that our heart, when it is not committed to God is “deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us. Personally, I have embraced the whole idea of making tons of plans and dreaming big, godly dreams. All of which I have submitted to God with the phrase Jesus spoke in the garden of Gethsemane – “Your will, not mine be done.” Sure, there have been some ragged right turns, some topsy-turvy turnabouts and lots of puzzled prayers. Overall, I saw God’s hand in it all. I saw His plans prevailing even when I could not figure out (while going through dark times) what He was up to. Looking back, it more than makes sense and that presently helps me when my faith waivers looking forward.

Prayer

Dad,
I remember someone telling me from an old quote, “Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.” That has given me hope and confidence in your ways, your plans, and your will above my own! My trust is solid in you. I have made and followed through with plans that needed to be altered by you, and I am eternally grateful you intervened.

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Reconciling my frenemies.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The best friendships are also the most vulnerable to offense. Trust takes years to build and it can be destroyed in seconds with a purposeful or even accidental moment of betrayal. There is even something WORSE that happens when a friendship is threatened or demolished. It makes us very leery of trusting others. So great friends are not only hard to find, they are much harder to keep!

This wisdom saying holds the key to not just surviving an offense or even a betrayal, it gives hope to those who want to build and keep quality friendships. The first key is the word, “harder.” This is simple but rarely practiced. It’s not impossible to win back the friendship! In fact, once this kind of friendship has been able to navigate the tunnel of chaos or conflict, it becomes even stronger than before. As any wartime general would attest, there is no such thing as an impenetrable fortress. Hard, yes, but not impossible.

The second key is found in this idea of causality – THE argument. Every human relationship, no matter how good or how close, has its moments of impasse! The argument may exacerbate the opposing ideas, but that’s still not what brings down a relationship. When one, or the other, or both decide to LOCK THE GATE – now we have a problem. When we lock the gate of our heart, the defenses go up and access to our brain filled with thoughts, ideas, attitudes, hopes, dreams, sorrows and big emotions are no longer accessible to our friend. The argument is no longer a clashing of ideas it turns into an inaccessible, impenetrable locked gate. Both have allowed these volatile opinions to become weapons that pierce each other’s soul! Soon angry phrases emote out of deep anger, frustration or defense – phrases like, “you are dead to me,” or “never speak to me again.”

Friends banter, they even fight, but the tips of their swords are always rounded and the wounds are never kill-shots. Our stubborn pride buried beneath our wounds may never allow us to heal, restore or reconcile.

A few verses down there’s another friend proverb that helps us understand this predicament. There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭24‬.

Real friends move past the offended or betrayed friend stage, pulling each other in closer, rather than pushing away. Doesn’t the Bible both encourage and command us to reconcile and love one another? Wouldn’t it be wise to obey, even though it’s hard? One of Jesus’ friends betrayed him with a kiss, and Jesus called him out in the garden. Another friend betrayed him by disowning Jesus and declaring that “he did not know him.” Jesus gently restored him after sharing breakfast on the shores of the lake.

Great friendships are worth saving and savoring, persevering and protecting!

Prayer

Dad,
While I was still offending you… you forgave me. While I was still yet denying you…Jesus died for me. You made the impossible happen. You breached the walls of my heart, you stood at the entrance of my locked gate and asked me to let you in. I did so and I will forever be grateful. Now, you ask me to do the same for those who have offended me, betrayed me. How can I say no? Knowing how much it cost you and how far you went to reconcile me, how can I not do the same? Help me not be defined by the frenemies I hold onto, but the grace to forgive like you have done for me.

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We are what we speak.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Proverbs is so good at comparing and contrasting concepts and character. ESV (English Standard Version) translation captures the punny play on words here, with the words “fine” and “false.” In this little proverb, there is a lot of truth packed into the words and rhythm of speaking it out loud. Just say the words, fine, fool and false out loud.

Words that describe us as humans, are a glimpse of our character, and become pretty sticky and consistent over time. In other words, people get to know us by our words. And, either the words we use match our behaviors, or they don’t – both outcomes are very telling!

The wisdom writers point out that you should not hear trash-talk coming from true royalty, or a leader for example. They use the comparison between a fool (nabel: wicked, stupidly evil – used 18 times in the Old Testament, only 3 of those in Proverbs), and a Prince. They juxtapose “nabel” with “nadib.” Nadib is used for nobility, a prince, a leader. The word Prince means one who generously incites to good. The noble lips drip with “yether,” abundant excellence, the evil fool with “sheqer,” lies and deception.

Does our character define our vocabulary or do our words define our character?

Rant warning! Is it just me or has there been a massive increase in public potty mouth? It’s not just F-bombs either. Folks used to apologize for potty-mouth words! My grandmother was a cusser. She would would go off with a Sailor’s string of profanity, but often end with “excuse my french.” I didn’t think those words sounded French, nor did I know if the French were constantly using swear words in their country. We have lost our “ability of civility” to control our potty mouths! It’s just not cute to hear a five year old drop F, S, or B words in casual kindergarten conversation! The only reason swearing isn’t on “public” television or “OTA” (over the air), is because the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) fortunately, still makes it illegal. Cable, satellite and streaming are not held to any standards even though the content is sent directly to homes with children watching! BTW, it’s ridiculous that somehow “Christian” freedom has been cited for believers to sound like trashy potty-mouths! End of rant.

Proverb’s wisdom still speaks today! The trust in leaders has been completely eroded away in our culture! We know that when a politician, media spokesperson or anyone defending themselves in the spotlight opens their mouth they are LYING. Do we want good character? Then we should should quit sounding like fools!

Prayer

Dad,
Oh my goodness, we’ve got ourselves is a mess! It’s a mess that only you can resolve. Help us O’ God. We ask for your forgiveness, your mercy. As we yield to you, renew and restore our sense of right vs wrong, truth vs lies, good words vs evil ones. We cry out to you. Lord, hear our prayer.

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Sanctity and safety of family meals

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Memories of my own family meals growing up were filled with tension of one sort or the other. Truth is, there were probably many, many meals that weren’t chaotic, Dad wasn’t drunk and table was filled with laughter. However, I can’t remember a single one of those meals. I only remember the traumatic ones. Honestly, there are a lot of holes in my memories, black boxes of time, filed with things my body chose to store, but my mind put up barriers. I’m told this is just how childhood works.

As Robin and I began are own parenting journey, we were determined to make meals happy memories. Hopefully when our adult children look back, they’ll see and feel peace and lots of smiles. Sure there were the normal standoffs about eating certain foods like tuna, homemade mac-n-cheese and quiche with carrots and broccoli. But overall, there were many meals shared around the table or out at quick serve restaurants, surrounded by church family – in fun! We were able to eat crust, as in pizza crust, tacos, hot dogs and hamburgers in peace. They were pleasant feasts to us. Tonight, in Tahoe, we’ll celebrate a custom we created years ago – pizza on the dock. We changed it to a outdoor picnic when our littles came along. I am thankful for our family meals, where we all come together. There’s been almost no drama, trauma or conflict in our gatherings. If you get a chance to make peace happen at mealtimes, changing the habits of complaining, whining and being snarky with each other. I believe you can do it! It’s never too late to start. Make a family pact and stick to it. Eat without conflict, talk about the highs and lows of one’s day, feast in peace!

Prayer

Dad,
I am so very thankful for the chance to not only live different from my childhood, but also to give our family, our children much more than tension and trauma around the table. Even through my many failures as a Dad, you were still able to give us a peace that allows us to regularly get together even as adults. The laughter and joy is palpable, giving us hope that our grandgirls will experience the same for their future families.

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Sweets for the soul.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Sweets to the sweet,” Shakespeare writes in Hamlet, where Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude says this in Act 5, scene 1 of Hamlet at Ophelia’s funeral, spreading flowers on her grave.

Sweet words spoken to one another are far more effective and necessary IN someone’s life, rather than at the end of someone’s life. I say this at every funeral. There is a moment in most memorial services where someone eulogizes the loved one who has passed. The word eulogy is two words in greek, combined into one, “good word.” It is often translated in the New Testament as “blessing.” When parents brought their children to Jesus and the disciples wanted to stop them, feeling like it was bothering the Master; Jesus said “Do not block or barr” the children from coming to me. Then Jesus blessed them, he eulogized them – speaking good words over their lives.

This is not only the high standard of how we should treat one another, it is also a wonderful piece of proverbial wisdom. Because, when we speak kind or good words, it’s like we pass out candy to a toddler’s delight! Our words become tasty, and thus healthy to the soul. Honey is said to have incredible health benefits for our body. And here, among the wisdom sayings, it is listed as caricature for both soul and body.

When we speak kindness, we speak health! When we use kind words in our conversations, it’s like we are handing out free blessings as trick-or-treaters come to our door on hallow’s eve. When we greet those who serve us with kind words, we are like the sweet grandma that always has candy handy for her grandchildren. This proverb is a reminder, not only that this is how Jesus spoke to children and adults, representing the very nature and character of God. But also, what happens when we choose to speak sweetly, kindly to each other. So share a chocolate kiss in words to the next person you greet!

Prayer

Dad,
I am reminded of Paul’s words to the churches in Rome, that your kindness is intended to lead us to repentance! Thank you for pouring out the sweet, healing nature of your word. Thank your for mercifully, gently, patiently pouring out grace and speaking life over us and into us. Help us simply do the same for others, as you have done to us. Amen.

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Discovering life-gold in Proverbs.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I first believed, there were only two lessons I needed to learn and that God was willing to teach me: Obedience and discipline. I learned to hear God’s voice and struggled with being obedient to it. Very soon afterwards, I began to ask God what He had planned for my life. Before Christ I had no future, no hope and absolutely no direction for my life. But after, I began to have hope in a future. But what would that look like? I had no idea.

Enter Proverbs. For two years plus, committing to reading one entire chapter every day. Since their are 31 chapters in Proverbs, it worked out well. When I came to chapter 16, three verses leapt off the page and highlighted in front of my eyes. Proverbs 16:1, 3 and 9. These verses became my game plan to determine what God wanted me to do with my life.

At first, it felt like I was just making stuff up! Maybe I should go to Long Beach State College and get a degree to become an electrician like my adopted father. I loved taking things apart and hadn’t killed myself playing with electrical sockets in our house, maybe that was it? I had gone to two college preview days (Junior and Senior year of High School) maybe I should go to a private Christian School and study to become a pastor? Who knew? I didn’t!

But applying these wisdom principles in my life gave me a confidence and a guide to help me determine my life’s big next step. I had some strange and miraculous things happen when I was 16. When I started my senior year of High School, I was feeling confident that God was leading me into full time ministry – as a pastor. The week before school began they took class pictures for the yearbook. For the seniors, they asked us what we were going to do after graduation. In my simple faith, or nativity, I wrote down – I’m going to be a pastor! Of course, my family was shocked, friends that knew me were shocked. I was even shocked when it came true!

These verses became my first decision grid on making major decisions in life. I love the mystery and wonder of 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” It’s like this. When we are walking we generally know where we are going, the direction of our whole physical body determining the next step as our foot lifts, then lands in front of us. In my mind, I imagined that I make a plan and set out on my day. What I’m going to do, where I am going to go, and who I plan to see or call. But here’s where the mystery comes in, just before my foot hits the ground (according to my plans) God seems to direct it to land where He intends, not necessarily where I intend. I notice every day, that I make plans, but God brings in His will, His way, His plans and supernaturally, superimposes them on my own plans, resulting in accomplishing God’s will in complete cooperation from me. Does that make sense?

I simply go about my day, my month, my year, making plans and yield (at every moment possible) to God’s intentions. Of course, it’s not perfect on my end! God also has the ability (mostly because He already knows my choices) to correct things in real time, re-writing mistakes and flub-ups to get me back on track with Him. And, all of this works together for His glory! This is how and when Romans 8:28 kicks in, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” So – go and make some plans! Dream big and make some Godly plans. Go for it. God will lead and guide by His peace.

Prayer

Dad,
I’m on the other side of life’s perspective of just starting out. Now, I’m looking back and can fully declare that you have been soooo faithful. Your will, your ways are perfect. I am thankful for your guidance and patience in my life. I can see how amazing these wisdom principles are because they have 100% worked in my life. What plans should I make now? I’m going to continue to dream big 😀!

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Lens check.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.” Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I went to get my eyes checked because I thought something might be wrong with my eyes. It was getting harder to read small print up close, without adequate lighting. I thought, “oh, here we go, my eyes are going bad!” My optometrist checked my eyes and gave me the news. I braced for the worst. He said, “there is nothing wrong with your eyes.” I retorted in disbelief, “but I can’t see as clearly as I used to.” He replied, “yeah, your old and your eyes ability to focus get a little weaker, you just need some help with reading glasses.” I wasn’t going blind, I was just getting old!

Is it possible that our perspective, our mental, emotional lenses can effect what we see happening around us? The wisdom writers confirm, it can and it does. The ESV translation is accurate in giving us the original Hebrew version, “all the days of the afflicted (ani: poor, afflicted) are evil (ra’: adversity).” The perspective from those who are poor, physically and/or spiritually is ALWAYS tainted with adversity. From their lens, their daily picture of what life is and what life gives, is all hardship and trouble.

I see people, I talk with people who live this way. Even though they may not actually be physically or spiritually poor, their lens only sees bleakness and doom. I spend a few minutes with them and I’m depressed just listening to their litany of tragedy. I can’t talk them out of it, I only listen and grieve with them. It’s always the same perspective of misery.

Proverbs contrasts this lens with another view. The one who’s heart is happy. Isn’t that interesting. A happy heart is the corrective lens that is able to see differently. The cheerful (towb: beautiful, pleasant, agreeable) heart sees a whole different life. This heart sees a feast (mishteh: a feast), a party filled with friends, food and laughter. I also talk with people like this! They are usually upbeat and are so excited to tell me about all the good things that are happening in their life. How strange! The contrast and comparison is wildly different. Can I be honest? I don’t enjoy being around forever negative people. I feel it is my Biblical responsibility and pastoral duty to do so.

The miserable are ALWAYS miserable and the cheerful are ALWAYS cheerful? We know that can’t be true. There must be some good things that come to the despondent heart. And, conversely, there must be some bad things that come to the cheerful heart. But the lens, the perspective, seems to be radically different.

When I start seeing everything as trouble and adversarial, I need to get my heart lens checked. I will find that my heart is not broken, it just gets tired and overwhelmed. I need to get some “spiritual readers,” to help me focus and get clarity on what I see. My heart is the lens of my soul’s view of life! I need to tend to correcting its focus! God’s Word, the Holy Spirit and close friends are my corrective lenses. They help me focus my heart to get a Godly perspective of reality.

Prayer

Dad,
Who can know my heart, my thoughts, my motives better than you. When my heart is sad, my perspective is dark and blurry. But when I spend time with you, especially in Your Word and prayer, you comfort my heart, you lift my soul from despair. As I have learned from the Psalmists, I can be completely open and honest with my feelings, but ultimately I need help tweaking my lenses to see what is true, right and good. Thank you for tending to my heart which dictates my view of everything around me.