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Wise Woman?

     The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. (Proverbs 14:1)

    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

    My thoughts are drifting around to questions of houses, communities, and nations. Today’s verse tells us that a wise woman builds up her house, but a foolish one tears it down. Somehow, I don’t think the foolish woman decides to tear her house down. It’s not even something that tends to happen in a day. It may take place over years.

   The first key to wisdom is fearing the Lord. Summarizing what has been said before, this means that wisdom begins with respecting reality and truth. That’s what God is. That doesn’t mean that God will always make sense to us. It also doesn’t mean that everything is going to be easy.

    I’ve been thinking (again) about what “home” means. What would my home be like if I were wise? Am I wise? Or is all that I’m trying to do pure foolishness that will result in my home crumbling around me? Do I respect and fear God, or am I fooling myself?

            But fearing God means accepting that He is God. I won’t always approve or understand. And when I don’t trust myself, I must trust Him. If I am foolish, I invite Him to teach me wisdom.

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