Solomon was pretty cool (minus the whole wife fetish, but we'll let that go for now). He ended up being a King while young, and really relied on the Lord to get him started... and then sort of let it slip. Again with the wife thing.
But do you remember the prayer he prayed? He requested "wisdom and knowledge," and he might "go out and come in before this people." As a quick aside, I find great hilarity in that verse, but I take it a little bit out of context sometimes, so I won't dwell on that fact too much here. Anyhow, the Lord granted it to him (feel free to brush up in either 2 Chronicles 1 or 1 Kings 3), and all was good for Solomon (well, until the wife thing). (You know, for saying I wasn't going to talk about that I spent an awfully long time talking about it. Strange...)
My favorite part about this whole thing is that as a Christian, I get this stuff in the package deal! When you read Colossians 2 about being knit together in love etc. you find a useful little verse tucked in there (verse 3) that goes, "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Isn't that nifty? Just by being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ we get wisdom and knowledge. It's pretty much the best situation ever.
So when we feel all lacking in the wisdom department (though we all know what James would say!) just remember that we have it. Through Christ we have a direct line into Wisdom herself--see entire book of Proverbs for information about wisdom. For further confirmation, read this book. =)
So when something seems confusing and/or slightly complicated, I like to think about the fact that I have knowledge and wisdom hidden in me. Now if only it weren't hidden so well...
PS, that's James 1:5, in case I wasn't clear.
Showing posts with label wives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wives. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Do I seem desperate?
For some reason I've been getting a lot of relationship advice recently. I have no idea if suddenly I got a neon flashing light that says "I DESPERATELY NEED YOUR ADVICE" or something, but for some reason I've been getting loads of it. Yesterday at Sunday School a little boy asked me how old I was and followed with, "Do you got a husband?" When I told him no, he was rather shocked, and said, "Why not? Don't you know how to get one?" That's clearly everyone elses question, as well. Here's a sampling (sadly, I do mean sampling. Most of these are condensed from much longer commentaries) from the last week and a half or so.
From the lady at the YMCA (pardon, Y, they recently changed it): Make sure to decide how many children you want, because you won't often just naturally agree.
From my boss: If you've found the guy who gives you the last piece of chocolate cake you'll know he's the one for you.
From the lady at the grocery store: "Sweetie, just make sure, whatever you do, to not lower your expectations."
From the guy who works at the auto-body shop: Oh, you'll wake up one day and say, "this is it? the house? the kids? the husband?" so just make sure you have someone you don't mind being stuck with.
From the lady who was paying a bill: Don't expect very many flowers. I don't know who started that story, but they never bring flowers.
From a random person at the office: It's all fun and games until you have stretch marks.
From my friend Mrs. B: Why aren't you married yet? =P
All in all, it's not like any of what they've been saying is specifically pointing at any major flaws (that I can), as if they're trying to gently help me out, but rather these people are just saying this sort of thing for fun. Is it because I'm "of age"? It's kind of freaking me out, because I'm neither desperate nor worried.
I just thought I should share.
From the lady at the YMCA (pardon, Y, they recently changed it): Make sure to decide how many children you want, because you won't often just naturally agree.
From my boss: If you've found the guy who gives you the last piece of chocolate cake you'll know he's the one for you.
From the lady at the grocery store: "Sweetie, just make sure, whatever you do, to not lower your expectations."
From the guy who works at the auto-body shop: Oh, you'll wake up one day and say, "this is it? the house? the kids? the husband?" so just make sure you have someone you don't mind being stuck with.
From the lady who was paying a bill: Don't expect very many flowers. I don't know who started that story, but they never bring flowers.
From a random person at the office: It's all fun and games until you have stretch marks.
From my friend Mrs. B: Why aren't you married yet? =P
All in all, it's not like any of what they've been saying is specifically pointing at any major flaws (that I can), as if they're trying to gently help me out, but rather these people are just saying this sort of thing for fun. Is it because I'm "of age"? It's kind of freaking me out, because I'm neither desperate nor worried.
I just thought I should share.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saul & Co.
There are some stories in the Bible that just make me sad. Anything to do with Tamar (either one, really), stuff about eating children, etc. But our family was just reading about the time there was a famine in the land, and it was because the Gibeonites were feeling upset because of the whole Saul thing (for a more complete rendering, please read 2 Samuel 21).
Anyhow, long story short, David up and killed a ton of descendants of Saul, just to make the Gibeonites happy. I think it's nice that the famine stopped, but seriously, at such a cost? That story just hurts me to read. Not to mention that it's not long after the whole Absalom story, which breaks my heart every time. Regardless, I'm discussing David and Saul.
I just find that whole Old Testament thing so hard to swallow sometimes. I mean, really, they had to kill those dudes to stop the famine? Wasn't there something else they could have done? Couldn't they have sent them some gift certificates to Camels, Ltd. or something? And when you think about Rizpa, the unfortunate concubine of Saul whose two sons were killed and left out to rot in the sun, you realize what a cruel situation it was.
Of course, I always wonder about Michal in all of this. Did she care about any of these going's-on? You'd better believe she was keenly aware of the fact that her sons with her ex-husband Adriel were being strung up by her current slash also-ex-husband David. How could she not? But did she care about Rizpa's sons? Did she care that Mephibosheth was living in the city, maybe even not too far from where she lived? I wish there was some way we could get a peek into the lives of the minoresque characters in the Bible. The dynamic between Michal and David is fascinating to me, and I often wonder if Michal, Jonathan, and David hung out, back in the day, when David was still just that kid who played the harp part-time for Saul. I know family dynamics these days aren't quite what they were back in the OT times, but still, the sense of family is pretty important, I think, no matter what era you're living in.
So the moral of the story is simply that the whole situation with David and Saul's kin makes me sad. Mephibosheth got a pretty good deal, but nobody else seemed to end up too happily. So much for the life of royalty, eh?
Anyhow, long story short, David up and killed a ton of descendants of Saul, just to make the Gibeonites happy. I think it's nice that the famine stopped, but seriously, at such a cost? That story just hurts me to read. Not to mention that it's not long after the whole Absalom story, which breaks my heart every time. Regardless, I'm discussing David and Saul.
I just find that whole Old Testament thing so hard to swallow sometimes. I mean, really, they had to kill those dudes to stop the famine? Wasn't there something else they could have done? Couldn't they have sent them some gift certificates to Camels, Ltd. or something? And when you think about Rizpa, the unfortunate concubine of Saul whose two sons were killed and left out to rot in the sun, you realize what a cruel situation it was.
Of course, I always wonder about Michal in all of this. Did she care about any of these going's-on? You'd better believe she was keenly aware of the fact that her sons with her ex-husband Adriel were being strung up by her current slash also-ex-husband David. How could she not? But did she care about Rizpa's sons? Did she care that Mephibosheth was living in the city, maybe even not too far from where she lived? I wish there was some way we could get a peek into the lives of the minoresque characters in the Bible. The dynamic between Michal and David is fascinating to me, and I often wonder if Michal, Jonathan, and David hung out, back in the day, when David was still just that kid who played the harp part-time for Saul. I know family dynamics these days aren't quite what they were back in the OT times, but still, the sense of family is pretty important, I think, no matter what era you're living in.
So the moral of the story is simply that the whole situation with David and Saul's kin makes me sad. Mephibosheth got a pretty good deal, but nobody else seemed to end up too happily. So much for the life of royalty, eh?
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Asking about Acts - Part II
Let's talk for just a minute about Acts 27. Great chapter, truly it is, but there's one thing I always hear about it that sort of gets to me. Which is to say, Acts 27:29. "Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for day."
The romantical side of me just likes to hear about a ship full of people wishing for day. Sounds cool (especially since you know they all survived at the end, phew), but it's the four anchors I hear a lot about. I'm not sure if any of the rest of you hear about these four anchors, but I highly recommend that if you're not familiar with a good sermon or two on the subject, that you head over to Google and, well, google it. "Acts 27 four anchors" is all it takes to come up with dozens of thoughts on these anchors.
I hear all sort of thoughts about them. Article number one on that Google search says that the four anchors are representative of Paul's steadiness in the storm. 1. He was in the presence of God, 2. He was God's possession, 3. He had a sense of purpose, and 4. He had a positive confession of his faith.
Well, these things are all good and right, but is that really what those four anchors represent?
Another article (also in the top ten Google listings under the search for "Acts 20 four anchors") says that the four anchors were that Paul 1. Prayed, 2. Had the Word of God, 3. Obeyed God, and 4. Had the hope of salvation. Once again, great things, but is that what those anchors mean?
I've heard other things. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, if you'll believe it, were once referred to as the four anchors. In Acts 2:42 mentions new Christians continuing steadfastly in 1. The apostle's doctrine, 2. fellowship, 3. Breaking of bread, and 4. prayers. That's pretty popular from what I've personally heard.
Anyhow, there are more, which doubtless I'll remember in the middle of the night tonight, but you get the idea.
Now, I'm not trying to be contrary (although I realize I come off as sort of contrary sometimes), but I'm trying to be practical, I guess. My hang-up with this whole situation is this: why are we comparing things to these anchors, anyhow? The anchors sure didn't help the ship, did they? This was a ship that, if we're trying to compare apples to apples, wouldn't even be qualified as a Christian ship (re-read the chapter, I'm sure it'll make sense in a moment!). So the illustration is already a little flimsy, in my opinion.
So, like I say, we have a ship who'd been trying, on its own merit, to reach land, cast these four anchors into the sea, and, well, that didn't work either. The ship broke in pieces, much like Humpty Dumpty, I imagine, only with less yolk.
May I reiterate: why do we like this illustration so much? These four anchors gave those sea-sick people not one ounce of help, and I'd like to keep viewing prayer and obedience to God as something that'll help me, thanks for asking. I once decided that I was going to sermonize all on my own, and started telling people that I thought that the four anchors referred to Jacob's four wifely things. Moral of that story? Have just one wife. For some reason that doctrine never really caught on, funny... =)
This really solved nothing, I suppose, but it felt nice to spit it all out.
The romantical side of me just likes to hear about a ship full of people wishing for day. Sounds cool (especially since you know they all survived at the end, phew), but it's the four anchors I hear a lot about. I'm not sure if any of the rest of you hear about these four anchors, but I highly recommend that if you're not familiar with a good sermon or two on the subject, that you head over to Google and, well, google it. "Acts 27 four anchors" is all it takes to come up with dozens of thoughts on these anchors.
I hear all sort of thoughts about them. Article number one on that Google search says that the four anchors are representative of Paul's steadiness in the storm. 1. He was in the presence of God, 2. He was God's possession, 3. He had a sense of purpose, and 4. He had a positive confession of his faith.
Well, these things are all good and right, but is that really what those four anchors represent?
Another article (also in the top ten Google listings under the search for "Acts 20 four anchors") says that the four anchors were that Paul 1. Prayed, 2. Had the Word of God, 3. Obeyed God, and 4. Had the hope of salvation. Once again, great things, but is that what those anchors mean?
I've heard other things. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, if you'll believe it, were once referred to as the four anchors. In Acts 2:42 mentions new Christians continuing steadfastly in 1. The apostle's doctrine, 2. fellowship, 3. Breaking of bread, and 4. prayers. That's pretty popular from what I've personally heard.
Anyhow, there are more, which doubtless I'll remember in the middle of the night tonight, but you get the idea.
Now, I'm not trying to be contrary (although I realize I come off as sort of contrary sometimes), but I'm trying to be practical, I guess. My hang-up with this whole situation is this: why are we comparing things to these anchors, anyhow? The anchors sure didn't help the ship, did they? This was a ship that, if we're trying to compare apples to apples, wouldn't even be qualified as a Christian ship (re-read the chapter, I'm sure it'll make sense in a moment!). So the illustration is already a little flimsy, in my opinion.
So, like I say, we have a ship who'd been trying, on its own merit, to reach land, cast these four anchors into the sea, and, well, that didn't work either. The ship broke in pieces, much like Humpty Dumpty, I imagine, only with less yolk.
May I reiterate: why do we like this illustration so much? These four anchors gave those sea-sick people not one ounce of help, and I'd like to keep viewing prayer and obedience to God as something that'll help me, thanks for asking. I once decided that I was going to sermonize all on my own, and started telling people that I thought that the four anchors referred to Jacob's four wifely things. Moral of that story? Have just one wife. For some reason that doctrine never really caught on, funny... =)
This really solved nothing, I suppose, but it felt nice to spit it all out.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
What wilt Thou have me to do?
For years, I've struggled with the concept of "What wilt Thou have me to do?" Basically, I understand the question, but how do we really know what the Lord is telling us in reply? I think it's just my stubbornness that has made me ponder it so much (want to talk about consecration? I am the wrong person to talk to that about, stubborn ol' me...), but it just seems... difficult.
One thing that always sort of got to me was about the whole when-I-grow-up-I'll-be-a-whatever question. For school, at the end of every year, my mom would have us write what we wanted to be when we grew up. For the first few school years of my life the answer was, without fail, "a missionary or a nurse," but once I was in about third grade, I realized that I didn't really want to be a missionary or a nurse. I wanted to be a "wife and mommy." By the time I got to twelfth grade I made it all sophisticated and wrote "homemaker" but the idea was essentially the same.
Which is all good and well, but that's the sort of thing that the Lord has to determine for you, at an appointed time (also good and well, don't get me wrong). So I've spent the last few years sort of floating around, doing random jobs and enjoying myself thoroughly. Also fine. But there was one thing that always sort of got to me--what was I really doing with my life?
Well, I still have no idea what the answer to that question is, but this isn't so much about what I'm doing with my life as what I'm letting the Lord do with my life.
Last Wednesday there were a lot of remarkably helpful comments made, one of which sort of eased my mind about what I was doing with myself these days. They were reading from Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
They were pointing out that every work we do is specialized and prepared, and God has a very specific path He wants each one of us to travel. Basic stuff, true. But then someone made the remark to the effect of, "You know, kids today try to decide what to do based on what they're good at, which doesn't make a bit of sense, because they're really supposed to be doing whatever God wants them to do, not what they want to do."
As an aside, anybody who knows anybody in my meeting can guess who this might have been (one hint, it wasn't my dad).
Anyhow, there was more to it than that, but it was a good thought for me, one I needed to be reminded of. I'm in insurance right now, which is weird, and certainly not something I would have chosen of my own accord. But that's OK, because for some odd reason, this is where the Lord has me. I was enjoying the verse from Ecclesiastes 9 about, "whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." For some reason, my hand has found insurance, and I need to make sure that I do it to the best of my ability so that I might honour the Lord.
Which is scary to me, honestly. Because it means that I've got to work extremely hard to make up for what I lack in common insurance sense. But... I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength!
One thing that always sort of got to me was about the whole when-I-grow-up-I'll-be-a-whatever question. For school, at the end of every year, my mom would have us write what we wanted to be when we grew up. For the first few school years of my life the answer was, without fail, "a missionary or a nurse," but once I was in about third grade, I realized that I didn't really want to be a missionary or a nurse. I wanted to be a "wife and mommy." By the time I got to twelfth grade I made it all sophisticated and wrote "homemaker" but the idea was essentially the same.
Which is all good and well, but that's the sort of thing that the Lord has to determine for you, at an appointed time (also good and well, don't get me wrong). So I've spent the last few years sort of floating around, doing random jobs and enjoying myself thoroughly. Also fine. But there was one thing that always sort of got to me--what was I really doing with my life?
Well, I still have no idea what the answer to that question is, but this isn't so much about what I'm doing with my life as what I'm letting the Lord do with my life.
Last Wednesday there were a lot of remarkably helpful comments made, one of which sort of eased my mind about what I was doing with myself these days. They were reading from Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
They were pointing out that every work we do is specialized and prepared, and God has a very specific path He wants each one of us to travel. Basic stuff, true. But then someone made the remark to the effect of, "You know, kids today try to decide what to do based on what they're good at, which doesn't make a bit of sense, because they're really supposed to be doing whatever God wants them to do, not what they want to do."
As an aside, anybody who knows anybody in my meeting can guess who this might have been (one hint, it wasn't my dad).
Anyhow, there was more to it than that, but it was a good thought for me, one I needed to be reminded of. I'm in insurance right now, which is weird, and certainly not something I would have chosen of my own accord. But that's OK, because for some odd reason, this is where the Lord has me. I was enjoying the verse from Ecclesiastes 9 about, "whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." For some reason, my hand has found insurance, and I need to make sure that I do it to the best of my ability so that I might honour the Lord.
Which is scary to me, honestly. Because it means that I've got to work extremely hard to make up for what I lack in common insurance sense. But... I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength!
Monday, November 16, 2009
And that's why it's called life-long
So, some of us were talking about marriage last weekend (does Monday count as part of the weekend?), and it wasn't one of those "yay marriage" times, but one of those "HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN???" times. Basically, here's what we were wondering: How do people ever get married?
Seriously, how do two people decide that the Lord is telling them without a shadow of a doubt that that other person is absolutely the person for them? Honestly, how does a person get to that place in their life? And on a closer level, how do two people decide that it's an appropriate time to start a relationship at all? I was just reading about Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, and they waited for five years until they thought the Lord was cool with them having a relationship. As crazy and long as that sounds, sometimes I think that I'll have to wait for at least five years, just to make sure I think I know what I'm getting into.
But I'm just jaded. Marriage is something I'm looking forward to potentially being a part of one day (though I may not be, which is fine), and I assume that I'll have times of extreme dislike towards my husband. Isn't that awful? I like to think I'm just practical, but secretly, I think I'm just way more jaded than any 20-year-old should be.
I had a chance to recount this story to someone the other day, and usually once I've recounted a story once, it's out of my system and I'm good and done, but this story is a good one, so I'll tell it again.
The other day I got home from work and wanted a chance to put through some laundry before supper, but I knew my dad was coming home soon, and could see that the table wasn't even set yet. So I as I was flying up the stairs to put my stuff away, I hollered at my brother, "hey, the table needs to be set!" When I came down with the laundry I saw that the table still hadn't been set, and I didn't want to seem like I was getting down on my brother, so I set the table myself. When I came up from the basement after putting through some laundry, I was greeted with the sight of my mom and brother carrying in groceries from the car.
"Mom, how did you rate? I asked him to help me set the table, and he didn't. Why is he helping you carry in groceries?"
(I just want to go on record as saying that my mother is far more worthy of help than I, but I was saying this loudly enough in his hearing to try to drive a point home.)
A blank look came from my brother. "You didn't ask me to set the table, you just said it needed setting!"
I seriously stared at him in... something. My mom just looked at me and laughed and laughed and said that boys were like this, and I should get used to it. And of course I had to laugh as well, because it was rather funny.
But... that's just another thing that frightens me about marriage--being married to an obtuse creature such as my brother. Sometimes I understand why so many woman are staying single these days!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Apologies and vomit
I have no idea what was in my head as I was writing yesterday. Seriously, Nancy Pelosi was the best I could come up with? Not only that, but I wasn’t very polite about it. I don’t know her personally (uh, obviously) but I’m sure her job is very challenging and it’s not really her fault that her speech writers gave her a “verse from Isaiah” that isn’t legitimate. So anyhow, Nancy, if you ever read this, I’m sorry if I came off rudely.
In other news, well, nothing. I was in Borders with a bunch of army guys today, and they all held the doors for me, which was nice. Usually there’s one polite guy who holds the door open, but by walking through the open door I usually walk past him, and have to open the other door by myself. Not that I mind, actually, and I’ve never even given it a second thought until today, when I realized that if there are lots of polite men in one place, they can open all the doors at one time.
Oh, and I was reading this verse in Isaiah the other day about the priests and prophets who drank so much that they vomited all over the tables and there was no clean place. It’s when I read verses like that that I fully appreciate being able to make mental images in my head without the accompanying smells.
And then in Ecclesiastes there was this hilarious verse about Solomon looking for wise people and he could only find one in a thousand men that was wise, but he looked in a thousand women, and couldn’t find even a single wise one. First, I never noticed that before, and it caused me amusement, and I hope I have opportunity to bring that up one time.
Secondly, Solomon had a thousand wives (slash concubines). Coincidence that he used that number? Well, maybe. But my personal theory is that one time he realized that he was surrounded by countless women who were ALL DUMB! It’s bad enough when a guy realizes that his one and only wife is foolish, but to realize you’ve got a thousand of them?
No wonder the guy was so depressed!
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