Proverbs 19

Verse 23: “The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble”.

Proverbs is my favorite book from the Bible, not only because of its wealth of wisdom, but also because of its everyday practicality. I’ve read the entire book several times since my teenage years. I’m 35 now and you would think I’d be smarter by now! In reality, I have to confess that every time I read the book and its precepts, I realize more and more my own foolishness and how short I fall so many times from that measurement of a “prudent man” that the book constantly describes. It’s funny, I’ve had this ongoing prayer since I was a teenager: “Lord, bless me like Jacob and make me wise like Solomon” but the inside joke is that I always think to myself, “Well, one out of two is not bad…he’s definitely blest me.” Still, I can think of so many proverbs and life prescriptions in this book that I KNOW have literally saved my life. On the other hand, it has been when I’ve felt smart enough and have relied on my own human wisdom and knowledge that I have gotten in trouble and have brought upon myself episodes that I would rather forget. Which reminds me that another thing that aggravates my natural talent for being UNwise is that I am cursed with a bad memory. I easily forget names, faces, phone numbers, dates, song lyrics, and yes…even life saving proverbs! The redeeming factor here is that, because of this, I am obligated to keep coming back to the book over and over and over, so that I can remember. I sometimes feel like the main character in “50 First Dates” who suffered from amnesia and had to look at pictures, home movies, and letters each morning to remember her life story! So what do simple minded people like me do? I try to, at least, remember the basics, the main idea: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” I figure that’s a good foundation to build upon. All for now…it’s time to go home to my verse 14 “prudent wife.” Now if I can just remember where I parked my car…..

--Leo Villanueva