and welcome to a POST A DAY IN MAY... (*small disclaimer for legal purposes: weekdays ONLY)
and the unveiling of the THEME for may, because i am NOTHING without a good theme...
but first, let’s talk about this lovely living room. i know that it is just a sneak peek, but i had to wrong lens on my camera and so i just took a couple of photos. you will have to wait to see the WHOLE room in its glory. OR come by and visit me and sit in there for a moment and actually bask in the glory for real.
the playroom has a new look too, but my decorator and fellow BLOG EVERYDAY (*weekdays only) in may pal, debbie, and i weren’t really thrilled with it. so it remains a work in progress...
and those thing lead me to my theme for may...
see how even my sideline comments lead to my theme. that is how good i am at the theme thing.
i feel like in my life, i am NOT progressing, not maturing, not getting any wiser.
i make the same stupid mistakes over and over. now i do realize that they are mistakes much quicker (is that growth?) and sometimes in the middle of the mistake, i realize that i am doing the same stupid thing once again. and i have a much quicker reaction time now. sanctification is slow and silent sometimes...
but i really do want to get wiser and quicker on that “do the right thing” thing. i guess i am a work in progress much like my playroom.
but i think i know where wisdom is found...
and it is in my living room... my rearranged living room.
...at that little table that debbie set up so nicely for me.
...in my Bible. which was the reason for the whole room re-do. see, i had NO good place to do my daily Bible study. i need a table for that kind of thing (because i need a Bible, a notebook, a concordance, and a cup of tea). and i had been having my Bible study time on the kitchen table. which was lovely. until i had to move all of my stuff EVERY day at dinner time. ugh. i just wanted to leave everything out so that it greeted me and called to me every morning. instead of the way EVERYTHING else calls to me every morning.
thus the lovely table set up in the living room. a room that usually looks clean so that i don’t have to think about cleaning of the kitchen counter, or making breakfast, or making lunch, or sweeping the floor... i can think about what i am reading and what God is trying to teach me.
and this month of may is PROVERBS month. for about 10 years now, i have read a chapter of proverbs almost every day of each month. so on the 1st day of the month, i read the 1st chapter of proverbs and on the 2nd day... well, you can do this math...
so that is over 200 times reading each chapter. one would think that i would qualify for WISE WOMEN of the WORLD.
yet, you all have met me and no one i calling me that (to my face, maybe behind my back you are all discussing my wisdom).
perhaps it is because i usually am reading proverbs as a side venture along with my other Bible study that i am doing.
or it could be perhaps that i have been doing a LOT of the reading of proverbs and not a lot of the DOING of proverbs. which seems a lot more likely...
and VIOLA, a theme emerged. a MONTH of proverbs... not just reading but LIVING proverbs. which might end up being kind of inspired by this book (which was really funny and not so reverent, which might describe some of my blog posts this month also...)
and so every day (*weekdays only), i will read the chapter of the day. and every day (*weekdays only) i will choose one verse to LIVE out for the month. in some way. of course, but the end of the month, i will only be living out those proverbian assignments for a much shorter time than at the beginning of the month. but by then i should be so wise that i should be learning so much faster...
so may i present for your reading pleasure: DAY ONE of...
A MONTH OF LIVING PROVERBIALLY : one woman’s humble quest to add more wisdom into her life (title is directly stolen from this book...)
this is totally theoretical at this point. but it is a theme for may. and today’s verse is kind of a theoretical beginning to this month. it should get less theory and more direct as we get into the month.
proverbs 1:32-33
For the waywardness and the complacency
of the simple will kill them, (turning away)(quietness, ease, prosperity, happiness)of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease (hears, yields to, obeys)(peace, rest securely)without fear of harm.
see why i need a concordance beside me while i do my Bible study? it is so much more expressive when you look to the hebrew meanings of those words. i would have never noticed the “complacency” being the same as “ease”...
complacency is: shalav
- to be at rest, prosper, be quiet, be at ease
- to be or have quiet
- to be at ease, prosper
and ease is: sha'an
- to be at ease, be at peace, rest, rest securely, be quiet
so i want sha’an NOT shalav. so close the two. and yet so far apart. and don’t i know that to be true.
one of them (shalav) will destroy me, but obeying God will enable me to be at ease (sha’an) without fear of harm... and so i think i see my problem (maybe, i am not really that wise, we have been over this before)...
i keep seeking a life of peace and ease (shalav), BUT seeking peace and ease will lead to my destruction and seeking God will lead to the right kind of ease and peace (sha’an). which is kind of the point of this whole exercise.
so this month’s first assignment. DEPEND ON GOD for my rest, not on my own ability to simplify my life. because obviously i have no ability in this area. NONE WHATSOEVER. can i get an amen on this people...
and the practical daily application of this, the actual living it for 31 days this month...
LET GOD SET MY SCHEDULE. i have been on the “no” kick lately. and now i am going to be on a “yes” kick. IF i feel like it is something God wants me to add to my schedule. so don’t you all be calling me and asking me to do all kinds of weird things for you, because THAT IS NOT OF THE LORD...
and how will i know what is of the LORD... i don’t know. really, i have NO idea. won’t this be a fun month for us all with that kind of murky start? i promise to get less murky as the month progresses...
because really i struggle with this EVERY minute of EVERY day (see how unwise i am?). what is good and what is GOD and what is NOT MY BUSINESS and what is the work He has prepared in advance for me to do? heck, if i know...
but i am going to pray specifically that only the requests that God wants me to add to my day will come to me. to not strive for an EASY RESTFUL day (with time for a nap and see what is on oprah), but count on God to give me the rest and ease and peace NO MATTER WHAT MY SCHEDULE HOLDS...
ugh, that is really hard to imagine. saying “yes” to everything... frightening. and yet, if it will lead to sha’an kind of peace in my life. then let it be.
sha’an, makes me think of sha na na which is not restful and wow, can you believe that they have a website? OK searching that website is not ordained by the Lord, so let’s move on...
my schedule (which is usually planned to the minute and written in ink... is now open and written in pencil and hopefully written in God’s handwriting with His sha’an written all over it.
let the month of may begin...
*and p.s. if you are going to be joining me on the BLOG EVERYDAY IN MAY (*weekdays only) then please let me know and give me a link to your blog. i want to check in on you everyday (i will write that in pencil on the schedule though because i don’t know if God wants me to check in on you everyday. He might want me to nap and watch oprah...)