mother | considering the word

Pr. 31:25: “Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.”

Strength and honor are her clothing. This is such an interesting verse to me. I like the idea of being clothed with strength and honor. What a beautiful attire.

I am not strong in body, but with God I can absolutely be strong in spirit. It is the Lord that gives me strength. It is in my weakness that the Lord perfects His strength within me. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers and equips me. The Lord, alone, is my strength; for nothing is impossible with Him. No matter what this life brings, the knowledge that the Lord will never leave me nor forsake me gives me such strength that I can continue forward, in His care.

Honor can come in many ways. When we do what we say we will do, we are being honorable: keeping promises and commitments, following through, showing up. Telling the truth is honorable, especially if we can also understand that sometimes truth needs to be delivered in a loving and kind way. (Sometimes the truth can hurt) Treating others kindly and respectfully shows them honor, and thus brings honor back to ourselves. I could go on and on.

Honor is a beautiful accessory to our wardrobes, for sure. It is something we can ask the Lord to continue to grow in our lives. I think it is something akin to holiness, which is never out of style.

“She will rejoice in time to come.” When we have been wearing such beautiful things in our lives, of course when we look back over our lives we will rejoice. What a wonderful legacy we will have been leaving behind us. What beautiful footprints we will have laid down in which others can safely follow. What a glorious testimony we will have given; one of glory to our God and trust in the One who gave us strength to make it through. 🙂

I can’t help but smile as I think about it. The clothes in my closet certainly won’t bring any level of satisfaction at the end of my life, but this strength and this honor…Oh, Lord, let it be. Help me, daily, Lord, to wear the attire that has been described in this verse. I want to honor You above all, Father, and to bring glory to Your name. I want to be able to show that it was by Your strength that I was able to do things that would have otherwise been impossible. Help us all, Lord, in the matchless name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Richly clothed,

jamie

Pr. 30:11: “There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother.”

This reminds me of the world in which we currently live, although, I know that disrespect goes back to the beginning of time. I remember the story of Noah and his sons. Noah became uncovered in his tent and when his son, Ham, saw his father’s nakedness, he went out and told his brothers all about it. His brothers, on the other hand, went in and covered their father, keeping their faces turned. They showed their father the respect he deserved because he was their father. Ham was cursed and his brothers were blessed.

Disrespect seems to be more rampant in our society these days. All you really have to do is visit a play ground or the mall and listen to the way that children speak to their parents to find out the truth. More and more we are modeling the behavior of Ham. Sadly we even hear of worse, as I just heard a story about a man who stabbed his mother to death. How far we’ve strayed.

I won’t get in to all the discipline issues, but speak to God’s instructions about our parents. As far back as the Exodus of the Israelites, the Lord gave the command: “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” This was the first commandment with a promise. Not only will our parents be honored and respected, but we live long on the earth and things will be well with us.

Some parents teach false or wicked things to their children. What then? We are not responsible for the actions of others, but for our own. We aren’t to give respect only to those who have earned it, but to those who are in a position of authority over us because the Lord has appointed them. We honor their position, not their worthiness. We give honor and respect because we were commanded to do so, and because we see what Jesus has done for us when we have not earned it. We honor and show respect as unto Christ.

Pr. 11:29 says, “He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind.” Surely, not giving honor to our parents causes trouble; and instead of gaining a promise, we will get nothing. Trusting in God as our heavenly Father allows us to follow His commands without fear. Surely He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He shows Himself strong to those whose hearts are loyal to Him. Trust Him enough to keep His commands. You will receive help and a promise to boot!

Respectfully,

jamie