One of life’s embarrassing characters is the screamer, and screamers show up in various settings. Let’s say you are at an outdoor picnic and someone gets stung by a bee, and thus begins the screaming and flopping on the ground. No one really knows what to do even though everyone knows the unspoken cultural expectation to rally round and offer comfort and what not. But with the over-the-top screaming and shrieking, no one feels compelled to offer the comfort because what is actually needed is someone to tell the person to grow up and blow it out, it was only a bee sting after all.
On two-year-olds we all look at the parents and feel a mix of sympathy and criticism. No one likes to have their child flip out and melt down in public like that, so we feel sorry for the poor parents. At the same time, we wish the parents would step in and correct the child. It is not wrong to be hurt; but it is wrong to throw a complete fit about it. Learning good conduct, even in pain or fear, is a godly discipline.
When a teenage girl falls down and skins her knee in the volleyball game, we expect her to jump up and keep on playing. When she curls up in a ball and starts wailing, we feel ill at ease, wishing she would reel it in. Even if a bone is sticking out of her arm, there is a difference between legitimate cries of pain, and uncontrolled sobbing and yelling, cussing and kicking. You know what I mean. We delight to see courage and self-control because we admire it wherever we see it. But bad temper and cowardliness are always shameful, no matter what the age of the screamer. Continue reading ‘Screamers’
In one of the books I was reading recently, there was an offhand comment about how there are really only two kinds of women: the princess and the pioneer. I was struck by the wisdom and insight in this observation, and the more I thought about it, the more it seems to really sum up how women generally handle life. We either are the kind who are willing to roll up our sleeves and dive into the business at hand, even if it is something we have never done before; or we are looking around for the people who are going to be taking care of us.
The world’s definition of wisdom is the power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action, based on knowledge, experience, understanding, etc.; good judgment; discretion; sagacity.
Though this is a good working definition, the Bible has far more to say about wisdom, and it takes wisdom to understand wisdom. But let’s give it a go. If you just read through the book of Proverbs and take note of every reference to wisdom, you will learn a lot about it. Here are just a few things from Proverbs.
We are to get wisdom, pursue wisdom, seek wisdom, find wisdom, love wisdom, exalt wisdom, take hold of wisdom, and keep wisdom. All those who succeed in finding wisdom find life and grace, for wisdom is precious (better than gold, silver, or rubies), her ways are pleasant and peaceful, and she bestows safety, preservation, long life, promotion, riches, honor, and happiness on those who find her. Proverbs 19:8 sums it up: “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul.”
That sounds pretty appealing to me. What in the world could hinder us in finding such a Continue reading ‘Get Wisdom’
Reverence is a feeling or attitude of deep respect, love, and awe.
In our day the word awesome is so overused, to describe things like tee-shirts or movies, that we have lost a very powerful word. Nevertheless, the word awe really means something like this: a mixed feeling of reverence, fear, and wonder, caused by something majestic or sublime. Awe is a fearful or profound respect or wonder that is inspired by greatness, superiority, or grandeur.
As Christian people, we are to have a profound respect and reverence for Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is what it is to fear the Lord.
Lev. 19:30 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord.
Ps. 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. Continue reading ‘Reverence’
Much has been written about humility; it is a grace that is entirely contrary to our fallen nature. Thomas Watson said, “Man is a proud piece of flesh,” and there is no denying this truth. All the more reason why we are to pursue this virtue: “Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility” (Zeph. 2:3).
So, what is humility exactly? It is having a modest estimate of one’s own importance; not proud; not self-assertive; modest; lowly; unpretentious.That should give us enough to work with. Though this study was put together for married women, it certainly does not mean married women are the only ones who need humility. A humble woman, married or unmarried, will be a tremendous asset to her church, her home, her family, and her community.
God sets Himself against the proud, but He works with the humble of heart, guiding, teaching, lifting up, giving grace: “The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way” (Ps. 25:9). “The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground” (Ps. 147:6). “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10). “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6). “Pride goes before destruction, and a Continue reading ‘Humility’
Now here is a word we don’t hear so much. Living in our promiscuous society, we ought to look for opportunities to use words like chaste, chastity, and chasteness. Great words. (I’m not really suggesting we wear them written on t-shirts or on the seat of sweatpants, but it would be novel.) Now what do these words mean? (Here comes the dictionary.) Technically, to be chaste is to be sexually pure; not indulging in unlawful sexual activity. It means virtuous, not indecent, modest, and can describe general moral excellence. It is Continue reading ‘Chastity’
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