Joy in Honor

"The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom ; and humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 15:33)
"Before destruction a mans heart is haughty; but humility comes before honor." (Prov 18:12)

The second part of each of these proverbs have stopped my heart in my study.  I began my journey into adult hood with the hopes that my mistakes would be few. After a decade of decisions in places of prominence I have understood that failure makes up a far larger portion of my life than previously anticipated. I had wrongly understood that a life with minimal mistakes would bring me honor. As mistakes have multiplied in my life in every area the concept of honor has become an unattainable goal.  The Bible has something far different to share.

The first verse explains that wisdom is held in the hands of God.  The attention paid to Him brings the humility of knowing He is in control. Honor then proceeds from an understanding of Gods sovereignty. The second verse begins with a negation. Those who have never experienced failure are prone to the pride that wells within a man when he believes he alone has accomplished a task. The Bible says that destruction is inevitably in this man's path and from it he will learn the humility of the knowledge of Gods sovereignty. From this path comes honor.

If the Bible is to be our teacher then the expectations of life must change from their outset. Honor does not come from always making the right decision. If this were the case then honor would belong to no man. Honor does not come with success. If this were the case then those who fell from success would view honor as something fleeting. Instead, honor is something that comes to a man when God is his end. It's the understanding that the day must begin and end with Gods instruction. He alone it's the one who brings lasting honor to our lives. This is an honor that relies not on circumstance but on proven character. The rich man may be called a fool and the poor man a man of honor. Circumstance has no bearing on those who seek the title of honor.  Once again, the presence of God is ever redefining mankinds picture of success.

8:36 AM

The joy of a messy stall

Proverbs 14:4

"Where there are no oxen the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the power of the ox."

My readings in the book of proverbs paused over this wise saying. I've never used an ox or had to clean up after one for that matter, yet this proverb causes me pause. It reminds me of another proverb not in Scripture, "if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, take someone with you".

Both of these sayings strike a sensitive part of my character. I like to go fast and I like a clean stall. However, there is very little worth accomplishing that does not require others and the mess they inevitably make. My life would be cleaner without children and also much more empty. My life would be faster without my wife and yet far less sanctified. I could create a ministry tomorrow by myself and yet it's longevity would be far less optimistic without faithful partners that take years to cultivate. The process of adding others to the task takes far more time and is far more messy than going it alone and yet the presence of others in life is essential to anything eternal.

One final thought on the idea of a clean stall when there's no ox...often it easy to view others as the ones who make things messy. While children cause clutter and wives create hair in the bathroom it is there presence in our lives that unearth our own messiness. Their presence in our lives exposes the hidden selfishness and pride in our own hearts like a spotlight on a dark stage. Without their presence I would not know how dirty my own stall is. While is it true that the stall is cleaner without others. It also never gets cleaned.