Today’s Reading Proverbs 29-31; 1 Thessalonians 4
It happens almost every day while raising children, especially in the ages of 8 to 14, when you tell them something, they always have something in addition to tell you. Upon first observation this can be seen as a sign of defiance. But when you look at it in a different lens, it can be seen as trying to help them grow their patience.
I have recently realized and found a new understanding of patience and observation returning to community pharmacy and management. There are many times you are presented with certain situations that arise and individuals want you to have a quick or rapid response. When you react without thinking it can create an onslaught of frustration and chaos. But in Proverbs, it tells us to have patience, which is not given to everyone. Patience is something that has to be learned and to be cultivated in order to be a better person.
Throughout the 29th chapter of Proverbs, we are shown many different ways of having patience. How to not be quick to react. How to allow God to work for us because the end goal is not for us, but for his glory. How many times do we engage with one another due to lack of patience? How many times are we pushed to certain measures because of lack of patience?
Proverbs 29 2- 20
2 When good people run things, everyone is glad,
but when the ruler is bad, everyone groans.
4 A leader of good judgment gives stability;
an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste.
7 The good-hearted understand what it’s like to be poor;
the hardhearted haven’t the faintest idea.
8 A gang of cynics can upset a whole city;
a group of sages can calm everyone down.
9 A sage trying to work things out with a fool
gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.
11 A fool lets it all hang out;
a sage quietly mulls it over.
12 When a leader listens to malicious gossip,
all the workers get infected with evil.
14 Leadership gains authority and respect
when the voiceless poor are treated fairly.
15 Wise discipline imparts wisdom;
spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents.
17 Discipline your children; you’ll be glad you did—
they’ll turn out delightful to live with.
18 If people can’t see what God is doing,
they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals,
they are most blessed.
19 It takes more than talk to keep workers in line;
mere words go in one ear and out the other.
20 Observe the people who always talk before they think—
even simpletons are better off than they are.
In the 30th chapter of Proverbs, we are presented with observations. Observations of nature and observations of others. You can see that in observations, it takes patience to sit and observe certain areas in our life. What is God asking us to have patience and observe this week? What is God wanted us to see that he is preparing for us if we only wait for him?
Proverbs 30: 15-31
Four Insatiables
Three things are never satisfied,
no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—
hell,
a barren womb,
a parched land,
a forest fire.
Four Mysteries
18-19
Three things amaze me,
no, four things I’ll never understand—
how an eagle flies so high in the sky,
how a snake glides over a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
why adolescents act the way they do.
Four Intolerables
21-23
Three things are too much for even the earth to bear,
yes, four things shake its foundations—
when the janitor becomes the boss,
when a fool gets rich,
…
when a “girlfriend” replaces a faithful wife.
Four Small Wonders
24-28
There are four small creatures,
wisest of the wise they are—
ants—frail as they are,
get plenty of food in for the winter;
marmots—vulnerable as they are,
manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;
locusts—leaderless insects,
yet they strip the field like an army regiment;
lizards—easy enough to catch,
but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.
Four Dignitaries
29-31
There are three solemn dignitaries,
four that are impressive in their bearing—
a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;
a rooster, proud and strutting;
a billy goat;
a head of state in stately procession.
In each of the proverbs we find that if we allow God to use us in the time that He has allocated for us, we can grow beyond our situations and become the vessels in which he has planned. If we decide to pursue things without his consideration we will have different results which may not be fruitful and blessed. Have a blessed week.