Monday, October 4, 2010

Wisdom Building

It happens more than I'd like to admit.  Everything will be going along just fine.  And then it hits.  It's usually something relatively inconsequential like choosing the wrong color socks.  This morning, it was about the clean pants she put in with the dirty laundry.  She'd only worn them for about an hour, and I was trying to make a point.  But Monday morning before school is not the time for point-making.  So in the midst of trying to make a point, we lost the peace of the pre-leaving-for-school hour.  And I lost an opportunity to fortify the home that I am so diligently working to build.

EVERY WISE woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
Proverbs 14:1 (Amplified Bible)

Funny thing about wisdom is that it's not really wisdom if it's not used.  I can know what I need to do, but if I don't do it, I am unwise.  Like the little nudge inside that I ignored.  The one that reminded me of what's really important this morning.

That truth sobers me in light of the idea of building my house.

If I want my house to be strong, I will build it with wisdom.  Not brute strength.  But God-strength.  The kind of strength that is founded on the fear of the LORD.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)

I can know how to serve my husband and love my children and nurture their souls, but if I don't do it, I am just like the foolish woman who tears down her home with her very own hands.

And wisdom is kind of tricky.  I mean, I do need to teach my daughter to put only what is dirty into the dirty laundry pile.  But, in all honesty, we've never even discussed that.  So why would I choose Monday morning before school to introduce it?  Wisdom knows the truth and seeks the right time to make it known.

Not just with my children, but my relationship with my husband desperately needs this kind of wisdom too.  The kind that builds instead of tearing down.  Not just with words, but with appropriate silence.  With prayer.  This kind of wisdom knows that the wise woman who builds her house has tremendous power to influence her home.  The wise woman realizes that she sets the climate for her home, whether she likes it or not.  And not only that, but she proactively sets the climate for warmth.  By fearing the LORD above all else.  By asking for wisdom from her very generous God.

So today I am asking Him for wisdom.  The kind of wisdom that only He can give.  The kind of wisdom that will build my home.

So -- I have a question for you --- what does wisdom look like in your home?  Leave a comment...I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

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3 comments:

cooperkelly4 said...

so good Bria! I am so thankful for the Lord's prompting (especially when I get it. =0) and follow. If it's any consolation, we have the same problem here...multiplied by 3 (my daughter actually gets it now). the other thing I htink of is "not to speak to a fool in his folly." Not that our kids are fools,but "foolishness is bound up in the heart..." discerning when the right time is, is such a crucial key. ONe I am still learning too. =0)

Heather Pasteur said...

I don't know that I know what wisdom looks like in my home, but I sure know when foolishness shows up. Isn't it almost funny how we are almost always wired to note the things we do wrong but we don't ever want to talk about the things we do good? So, your question is hard to answer because we don't like to put ourselves up on a pedestal but are just fine getting up on a soapbox.

What I can say is that our prayer cards in Bible study are working. I have been given an amazing blessing by God this past week and I know it is because of the person in our class that has lifted my request to God each and every day. And each time I have noted that blessings in my day, it reminds me to pray for the request I received. So, I stop and pray for that person hoping to pass along the blessing I received to someone else. Hopefully our prayer cards will continue to be "pay it forwards" in our lives.

brianna said...

Heather --- that.is.awesome. Praise God! He is good.
And, you are so right about the pedestal vs. soapbox thing. Great insight. Thanks.

Kelly -- Good point about speaking folly to fools. . . I gotta' pray/teach the foolish right out of her, huh? :) So thankful for God's mercy!!!

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