Fourteen dot One

04.14.15

Proverbs 14.1 The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. ESV

Most of the proverbs in Proverbs are attributed to King Solomon, the son of David. Solomon is accredited as the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon did some danged impressive things during his reign: he built cities, gardens, imported and exported horses; he sent ships off to gather gold and silver was so plentiful in his day people viewed it as common as pebbles.

The fun part about the proverbs that Solomon wrote is they say a lot in a few words. We have similar proverbs today, and just when you think you’ve heard them all, another one pops up on the charts… I am currently attempting to read through the Book of Proverbs every month: one chapter a day. Some days they really say a lot (in few words), and other days I miss the point entirely. And some days are like today: one catches my eye (my mind and my thoughts) and I have to stop and think about it. Proverbs 14.1 is such a proverb.

It says so much about life in sixteen brief words. The wisest of women builds her house… What is it with women and houses (more specifically homes or households) and putting a life together around such an endeavor? Proverbs 31 talks about a wise woman who is motivated, caring, industrious, proactive, creative, charitable, and smart. Not all women are Proverbs 31 women. (Men you can quit looking or dreaming because she is an ideal, not a reality.) But she (ideal or real) is a standard to be thunk about. She loves God, family, and life, and lives all three on her toes, not on her heels.

We don’t need Proverbs 31 women – what we need are women who will live their lives on their toes, not their heels. We need men who will love their wives, their family, and serve them as if serving God (on their toes, not their heels).

But 14.1 is a woman we can identify with: she is wise enough to know her role and her importance in building up her home. She lives life on her toes taking care of the home and does so in a manner of wise importance because she knows the result of such an effort. What is it about a woman who builds up her house? She knows how important it is. She knows that the pain she expends is well worth the reward she receives. A wise woman is a jewel beyond price. A wise woman is fearless. A wise woman is focused. A wise woman builds a legacy and a life. Is that too much to ask?

A wise woman once prayed:

Our Father, who has set a restlessness in our hearts and made us all seekers after that which we can never fully find, forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life. Draw us from base content and set our eyes on far-off goals. Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength. Deliver us from fretfulness and self-pitying: make us sure of the good we cannot see and of the hidden good in the world. Open our eyes to simple beauty all around us and our hearts to the loveliness men hide from us because we do not try to understand them. Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of a world made new.

I share her prayer because wisdom is not gender specific – it benefits us all…