Proverbs 13-31

pro·verb

/ˈprävərb/

noun

plural noun: proverbs

1. a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.

Yep- really could think of no better way to exactly describe the chapters within this book of the Bible. “Short sayings, stating a general truth and/or piece of advice. “

Why have decoration/ design companies even bothered coming up with so many little sayings & quotes to print on the wooden and canvas wall hangings- we have advice sayings/ quotes for pretty much all occasions right here 🙌

And so many of them were like- oh well, yeah that makes sense! Wonder why more people don’t follow that?! Can I print this out and mail it to our politicians and policy makers?!

What stuck out to me was how some of them were repeated- maybe in slightly different verbiage but the gist was repeated a few times:

*quarrelsome wife

*disobedient son

*slumber leads to poverty

It makes me want to print out a list of them just to use as responses within everyday life.

My son doesn’t listen- “

Co worker is arguing

Friend is gossiping (I’m tempted to gossip)

I think I’m envisioning the stereotypical old man in Disney movies, most like a Kung Fu master or something, talking in sayings and riddles that don’t make sense but by the end of the movie they make sense and were the answer all along.

And of course we end with probably the most famous, most well-known proverb- Proverb 31. Now don’t get me wrong- I like Proverb 31; I subscribe to the ministry Proverb 31 and enjoy their devotions but what concerns me a little bit about the popularity of this chapter is the tendency to put (a) a lot of pressure on yourself as a woman to be all things for all people in an effort to be this perfect Proverb 31 woman, but more so (b) the emphasis it’s placing on YOU as a woman, rather than on God as our maker. We can’t just work harder and achieve perfection- we can’t just expect ourselves to be able to do all these things listed throughout Proverb 31; we have to lean on and completely rely on God. Placing our whole faith in Him, putting our life in His hands, then maybe we can achieve these things and become a Proverb 31 woman but it’s not just because we read it, make a list of life goals, and set out to achieve the perfection of a Proverb 31 Woman.

What about you? Did one Proverb really resonate with you? Do I sense some new wall hangings being ordered for your home?

Maybe your takeaway was totally different! And that’s great!! What did you pick up here?