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Scriptures of the Day, and reflections on wisdom, family, and letting go of the Record

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2010 29 Dec



One of my most frequent and heartfelt prayers is for wisdom, for a discerning heart and a clear mind to see things as God sees them. 



I have always loved the Bible story in which King Solomon asks God for wisdom. It has struck me ever since I was a little girl how Solomon, when a newly-made king, asked for wisdom to govern well instead of power or riches. God is so pleased with Solomon’s humble request that he gives Solomon power and riches anyway. 

7 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”


 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14


–1 Kings 3:7-14 


Related to wisdom, a few other verses jumped out to me powerfully today in prayer. 






At a time of year when we get together with our closest family and friends, it’s a fact of life for many of us that sometimes conflict ensues. Not that my wonderful families live in Drama City by any means :), but the following verses are speaking to my heart today regarding relationships in general with all of my family members, my husband included.

My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. -James 1:19

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.      -Philippians 4:4-7

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. –Matthew 7:3-5


I read a great little book after Michael and I got married, “The Power of Praying Wife,” by Stormie O’Martian. I was very surprised and challenged by the first part of the book, in which Stormie emphasizes that, in most cases, the way to approach praying about changes you would like to see in your marriage and in your spouse is to take a hard look at where you can make changes and improvements in yourself. 
I think about Stormie’s little bit of wisdom a lot when issues arise in my marriage, but also when issues arise in my friendships or family relationships. 
At least for me, my most difficult (but not necessarily poor!) relationships are definitely with family. It always amazes me how easy it is to be “good” at home in Houston, but when I’m back in Louisiana, I sometimes find myself saying and doing things that aren’t characteristic of the person I would like to believe I am trying to be!
But, you know, our oldest relationships–especially family ones–are complicated by nature, filled with large and small scars from the past. We all keep our own Record of all those little scars, whether we know it or not.
God knows this. 
And in His wisdom, he reminds us that, in order to live and grow in love for one another, we have to let go of those scars, to “keep no record of wrongs.” 
No matter how deep the scar. 
No matter the sheer number of scars. 
No matter if you have every reason to expect that you’ll be hurt in those same ways again. 
When you really meditate on it, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, that ever-popular wedding reading, is one of the most challenging teachings in the Bible. Or maybe just one of the Bible’s most challenging teachings for me?

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This blog post is really just one more heartfelt prayer of mine for wisdom, for understanding, for a discerning heart, for a mighty courage to live out these thoughts and discernments of mine tomorrow, next week or five minutes from now in my own relationships.   

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3 Comments · Last Updated: May 29, 2015

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Comments

  1. Katie S. says

    December 31, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    Well done, Erin – I really needed to read this and I didn't even realize it until I had.

    I hope you guys had a great Christmas and enjoy your first New Year with Gabriel!

    Reply
  2. Kristin says

    December 29, 2010 at 9:52 pm

    Great wisdom for the Holiday season. I needed to hear it. On another note, I just looked at some of your posts and saw that y'all put the TV in! It looks great! I have to admit I'm a little surprised! Miss you guys and hope to see you soon.

    Reply
  3. Christine says

    December 29, 2010 at 6:48 pm

    Thank you for this encouraging message, Erin!

    Reply

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Hi there!

I'm Erin, a Catholic wife, speaker, writer, and mother of six. Since I started my blog way back in 2009, my life has been a roller coaster of babies, plot twists and a plane crash or two. I've been chronicling things here as I've been learning to love and suffer and laugh and trust in the goodness of God in the ordinary and the extraordinary--with a little espresso and a lot of Divine Mercy. Read More…

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