one of the countless things i love about my parents is the fact that they both consistently tell me about new things God is showing them through their quiet times or doing in their lives. this has been an encouragement to me as i have journeyed through life and found myself in stressful seasons of life. my mom has clearly conveyed to me the idea of finding 'joy in the journey' along the way, and my dad has shared the sheer miracle of the Word of God being new every morning....living and active! thank you parents!
well, i had one of those moments this morning... where in spite of the fact that i've read Proverbs many, many times (yet another dad thing... "there are 31 of them you know, one for each day") i had an 'a ha' moment with proverbs 3:21-24 today. here is what it says:
'...preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down you will not be afraid; when you lie down your sleep will be sweet.'
i can't tell you how many times i have had trouble falling asleep because my mind won't quit going over stuff! stress about tomorrow, fear about next week, what if, what if, what if. my 'a ha' moment came when i put 'preserve sound judgement and discernment' and 'go on your way in safety' and 'when you lie down you will not be afraid...your sleep will be sweet' all together. it's all one thought. when Solomon says 'they will be life for you', he's referring to sound judgment and discernment. when he says 'then you will go on your way in safety' he's referring to the fact that when you use sound judgement and discernment (make good choices) your way will be clear. when he says 'you will not be afraid when you lie down, and you will sleep soundly and sweetly', he is referring to the fact that once you've made the right choices (with your time, your words, your actions) using what?.... sound judgement and discernment, your stress level will dramatically decrease. amazing. seems so simple. yet why do we (ok, i) still skip the sound part of the judgement? why do i drop the discernment and instead head straight for selfish desire? well, i'm perpetually human, that's why. a sinner at heart. i'm reminded once again of my total need for Jesus. my need of his grace. my need of his influence over, under, in and throughout my life.
i want to encourage you. just like my parents have done for me... keep at it! Jesus = JOY. the only joy to be found in this journey of life we are all on is in Jesus. so actively seek him. pursue your relationship with him. let him open up the doors and turn on the light to reveal sound judgement and discernment through his Word. then preserve them. they will be life for you.
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