Yesterday, I was challenged by momstheword to “make my house sing.” Her instructions:
“It can be an attitude or an action. Motivation, our attitude, baking, encouraging our husband or children (if we have either one), organization, cleaning, saving money….the opportunities are endless.”
After reading her blog, I couldn’t rise to the challenge. I couldn’t begin to think of what I could do. I knew I needed to let the Lord speak to me first.
I have read a Proverb of the Day for over 20 years. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs and 31, or less, days in a month, so you read the proverb that matches the day. It has been a huge blessing to my life.
The 31st is always eagerly anticipated, because I read one of my favorite portions of Scripture, commonly titled “A Virtuous Woman.” The Lord was so good to dedicate an entire chapter to detail the qualities of a godly woman. It’s also a beautiful spiritual picture of believers as the bride of Christ, but I read it as a woman.
The verse that spoke to me was 26. “She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
Ouch.
I open my mouth a lot, but it isn’t always with wisdom.
This word opens in the original Hebrew has two meanings, to open or to carve or engrave.
Double ouch. What a powerful description of the work of our words, especially those spoken to our God-given little ones who’s precious faces we look upon all day.
She carves with her mouth. Immediately, I pictured hurtful pain inflicted on someone. Then, I pictured a man carving something out of a stick. He first just gouges out the big pieces that he needs to remove for the desired change in his work of art. Then, when it is shaped into the likeness he wants, he uses smaller tools to finish.
He begins engraving intricate details to make his artwork come alive, to show his personal craftsmanship and to inspire the viewer with awe towards the creator.
We need to carve out those sinful things in our children’s lives and we engrave the likeness of the Savior into their hearts and minds.
We always think of wisdom as smartness. But, we all know someone who scored very highly on their ACT’s or SAT’s, yet cannot function in the real world. They can’t pay their bills, keep a job, keep a relationship. What good has their book knowledge done for them? Wisdom is more than acquiring knowledge.
True Biblical wisdom in the book of James is showing what you KNOW by what you DO. Your wisdom should just flow out of your life.
Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” My favorite preacher, my husband, defines fear of the Lord as this: “It matters to me, what God thinks, about what I am doing.”
Tongue means language and law means direction and instruction.
The word study that delighted me was the word kindness, a compound word also translated mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, goodness and kindly.
The first word means to show thyself merciful.
The second word is actually Bethesda, which means house of mercy or flowing water. This is the name of a pool of healing waters near the sheep-gate at Jerusalem. Combined, that is a lot of mercy.
So, this is how I am trying to make my house sing.
“She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
Mindy translation, “I am carving and engraving in a way that shows it matters to me what God thinks about what I am doing, the direction and instruction of my language will show a river of mercy.”
My house, by the grace and strength from the Lord, will be a house singing from the flowing waters of mercy.
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