stubbornness | considering the word

Pr. 17:14: “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.”

Can anyone attest to the truth of this!?

22 years ago today, my best friend died in a car wreck. It was one of the most devastating days of my life. It wasn’t just because she was gone. Adding to that grief was the fact that at the time that she died, we had been fighting for several weeks. Now she was gone and I’d never get a chance to change that fact.

The moment I found out she was gone, none of the issues we’d been fighting about mattered. All I wanted was her. I wanted to go back and tell her I was sorry, that it wasn’t really important, and hug her tight. The fact that I couldn’t, the fact that I had been so stubborn and unforgiving, was something I would have to work through for a long time.

My sage advice today is to let it go. If, in the next moment, the person you’re striving with was gone, would it really matter? Before it gets worse, choose to put a stop to it. You never know if you’ll get another moment to show love.

Experienced,

jamie

Pr. 17:16: “Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it?”

After determining to go “chemical free” with all the products that touch my skin, I have recently been experimenting with herbs to replace my former chemical shampoo and conditioner. This has taken a lot of research and a lot of fun chemistry experiments in my kitchen to discover the best way to prepare them.

To be perfectly honest, I am not convinced that my hair is clean at all. I am not, however, quite ready to throw in the towel. Perhaps I will end up with a different recipe, or with a bottle of store-bought, all natural shampoo, but for now my stubborn, choleric personality has kicked in, and I am determined to make this work. I will not give up without a fight.

This verse reminds me of my current situation. How so? Well, I could buy as many herbs as I want. I could line them up in beautiful bottles on the shelf and show them off to everyone who comes into my home. I could tell everyone I can find about the wonderful herbs I bought for my hair. Oooh…I could join some fancy ‘herb club’ or get a discount plan for the best herb shop I can find. I could even show them off as I make my rounds through town.

If I never put them to use; however, there is no point in even spending the money or the time on them. It would be foolish.

We can buy as many Bibles, study guides, and concordances as we want. We can join the best church around. We can wear our church gear, put our church stickers on our cars, show off our Bible apps to everyone we see, and even talk about all the great outreaches we know about.

If we never put any of those things to use; however, there is no point.

Why have a Bible and not use it? Why join a church and not attend? Why wear the gear or sport the logos if you’re not committed?

When we determine to become truly invested in the wisdom that comes from God, and set our minds to learn more of Him; that is when we are no longer counted a fool. We must get into the Word. We must turn our hearts into a “chemistry lab” where God can create something new within us.

We must continue and not give up. That’s when we know we have a heart for it: when we won’t allow anything to stop us from learning more and we will stubbornly continue, not allowing setbacks, failures, or greasy situations to get us off track.

The Lord has so much to offer. If we not only get the purchase price in hand, but also set our hearts toward Him and continue with Him the rewards will be beyond measure!

Washing my hair in faith,

jamie