31 Days of His Wisdom - Day 12 - Words

source - Microsoft Office

I hope you have had a restful Sabbath, and are filled with shalom (peace).  My posts during this series will be after sundown on the Sabbath.

Proverbs 12 is the passage for today, and there is much food for thought related to the words of the wise.  These verses stand out to me today:

   

¹⁵ Fools suppose their way is straight,
    but the wise pay attention to advice.
¹⁶ A fool’s anger is known at once,
    but a cautious person slighted conceals his feelings.

I must ask myself - am I open to advice?  Do I take criticism well?  This was a challenge when I was young, but now I have learned to listen and consider it prayerfully.

People who spout off in anger are foolish.  I did this, too, in the past.  My parents, though married for fifty years, fought like cats and dogs.  I learned through experience that this was not the way to handle conflict.  When I'm spoken to angrily, I stop and don't respond in kind because I know I would regret angry words.  I let the person cool off, and then offer to discuss the problem calmly. 

¹⁸ Idle talk can pierce like a sword,
    but the tongue of the wise can heal.

Remember the rhyme from grade school - "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me" - which was said back to someone who had called you a name?

I said it, but I knew it wasn't true.  Words are powerful, and they can pierce like a sword as verse eighteen says.  They hurt children and adults, as well.  

Words can also heal.  I remember the kindness of my grandmother, and her gentle, uplifting way of talking to me and others.  She and my aunt were the most beautiful examples of G-dly women I've ever known.  

Every day, I ask G-d to give me the right thoughts as well as to set a watch before my lips because words have impact, and they begin in the mind. 

²⁵ Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs him down,
    but a kind word cheers him up.

I cannot ever read this chapter that verse twenty-five doesn't jump out.  There is so much anxiety in people's hearts these days.  I see it all around me, so I make a point to try to lift spirits wherever and whenever I can.  Kindness is a beautiful thing.  I love kind people, don't you?  

I want to be a cheer-er-upper, like my sweet husband.  He wakes up happy, and spreads sunshine wherever he goes.  We visit my mother in a nursing home several times a week, and while my focus is on her, Rabbi Jem visits with other patients.  They all love to see him coming and he always makes them smile. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 Each time I read through Proverbs, something different jumps out at me.  This is ADONAI quickening His Word to my heart.  

As I go through this month of studying Proverbs, I hope you'll join me and read the chapter, too.  I'll share what stands out to me for that day.  

I'd love for you to share something He shows you through the day's reading. 
I'll be linking these posts to the 31 Days event at The Nester


This 31 day series will focus on the things I learned from Proverbs, as well as some things from Torah study, and will add in a sprinkling of what I've learned from Judaism. 

I will be posting daily through October 31.  To read the posts, just go to the Labels section on the left, and click on "31 Days of His Wisdom".