Coincidence???

Proverbs 2

“Coincidence is God’s way of staying anonymous.” is a quote from Albert Einstein. The interesting thing is that since I heard that quote, I have recognized multiple times where God’s actions may be in the works. Coincidentally, or in this case, not at all a coincidence, yesterday I wrote my first post about living the out the Bible. If you recall, the assignment is to read one chapter of Proverbs each day then choose a verse that you are going to “live” the remainder of the day. Yesterday, I randomly chose the verse below and added my personal interpretation to it. Here it is:

Chapter 1 Verse10 My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. 

To me, this verse is saying to pay close attention to those you choose to surround yourself with. The best choice isn’t always going to be the easiest choice or the most glamorous. When you choose, choose wisely. Search their hearts and pay attention to their motivations.

What is VERY interesting is that literally minutes after posting my blog for the day, I received a phone call. On the other end of the line was the voice of a business man that I really respect. Now let me be clear, I am not saying that this man is in any way a sinful man. However, if you look at how I defined what the verse meant to me, the writing below the verse, you will see that the last two lines of my definition were…The best choice isn’t always going to be the easiest choice or the most glamorous. When you choose, choose wisely. Search their hearts and pay attention to their motivations. As coincidence or in this case, God would have it, The man was offering me a sugar coated position with his company. He was enticing me by using all the right words. Making the offer appear to be something more than it really was. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t lying to me, he was being forthright but his offer was still surrounded by a delicious candy coating that once tasted could leave your soul hungry and searching for more. As he spoke, I applied my day’s writing into the conversation. I did so by searching this man’s heart. I ignored the ease associated with his offer and looked the other way when he mentioned the glamour that would accompany the position. I asked myself, what were his true motivations and in doing so, I had a clear answer to his offer. “Thank you, but I’m not interested.”

In the past, I may have anguished over his offer for hours, days and possibly even weeks. Who wouldn’t, the position would be prestigious and financially rewarding. But in my heart, I know that it is NOT what I was born to do. It was not my soul’s mission. Though it was easier, it was what I know and I have a proven record of success in that field, It took me over 40 years to discover who I was meant to be and even though it can bit scary to follow the path unknown, I know it’s what I am being called to do. For me, living in faith means to trust that even when you can’t see the how, you know with unwavering certainty, that God has your back.  Living your soul’s mission means that sometimes you just have to take action, even if the step you are taking at the time seems to be taking you nowhere or even a little further away from what it is that you THINK you want.  Having faith means that you must trust that God knows what’s best.

Moving on…

Today we are reading Proverbs Chapter 2. You can read it below. The verse that I chose to live today is:

Verse 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding

When I first read this verse, It would have been easy for me to overlook it but when I allowed myself to really think about it, this particular verse struck a chord with me. “Turning your ear to wisdom” what this means to me is that throughout the day I often find my mind wandering. When this happens, I often miss what may have been an important message from a friend, a book, video or that little voice inside my head. Turning your ear to wisdom means that I have to become more present, more mindful, live in the moment. I need to listen for the messages, especially the hidden ones. In addition, I need to trust my intuition and allow the wisdom from that little voice inside my head to be heard. “Applying your heart to understanding” means that I need to take time to understand others not with only my head but also with my heart. To do so, I must take the time to not only SEE things from their perspective but also FEEL it from their perspective with my heart.

If you decided to join me on this daily adventure, please feel free to post your daily verse and definition in the comments section below. If you know someone who could benefit from taking action, please feel free to share my posts.

Have a great day!

Kevin

Proverbs Chapter 2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2 My son, if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

2 turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding—

3 indeed, if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

4 and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

7 He holds success in store for the upright,

he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

8 for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

9 Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair—every good path.

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

11 Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you.

12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,

from men whose words are perverse,

13 who have left the straight paths

to walk in dark ways,

14 who delight in doing wrong

and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

15 whose paths are crooked

and who are devious in their ways.

16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,

from the wayward woman with her seductive words,

17 who has left the partner of her youth

and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a]

18 Surely her house leads down to death

and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

19 None who go to her return

or attain the paths of life.

20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21 For the upright will live in the land,

and the blameless will remain in it;

22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God