Day 58

Leviticus 20:22–22:16; Mark 9:1-29; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 10:18

THE VOICE OF Wisdom found in the Proverbs today forces us to slow the day down and invites consideration. Is there someone in your life whom you can’t stand? Perhaps you’ve been offended in some way, and the sting has left something simmering inside your heart. We’ve all had experiences like this, but what do we do with them? Many times, we find ourselves reliving encounters in our minds. As we reach the boiling point, our need for retribution pulls us in all sorts of unhealthy directions. Perhaps we act out by shredding the person in question to our friends or colleagues while pretending that all is well to the person’s face. We know this behavior isn’t healthy, but our need to be right overrides this knowledge.

“Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool,” Wisdom instructs (Proverbs 10:18). Put in this light, we must honestly consider whether the offense is worth becoming a liar and a fool over. Perhaps reliving an event or conversation and then turning it into gossip wastes a lot more energy than simply having a humble conversation with the one who has offended us. A move toward reconciliation may not fix everything, but it is certainly better than being a liar and a fool.

When we are confronted by the Bible in ways like this, we can bristle up and begin justifying our behavior. Proverbs has a way of cutting through all of that. In one sentence, it can touch some very deep things in our hearts. The intention isn’t to make us squirm; rather, it is simply to tell us the truth. We get to decide whether we will listen. But we will save ourselves from many missteps and heartaches if we pay attention.

PRAYER:

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God —the source of all my joy.