Charm Bracelet Wisdom

I have a charm bracelet somewhere. It's silver and jingly and a bit too heavy to wear comfortably. All those memories! The problem is that I can't find it. Since I cannot remember the last time I wore or saw it, I am not sure if it would have been packed into a moving box from my college days, from the time my parents moved from my childhood home to a new city, or from one of my many moves since getting married and living in three different cities and several apartments. Is it tucked away in a little white cardboard box with gauzy padding? Is it hiding at the bottom of a drawer underneath assorted items unrelated to jewelry? Did I drop it in a random parking lot?

If my charm bracelet had been a staple part of my daily ensemble, I doubt that it would now be lost. It is such a noticeable piece to wear, due to its weight and the sounds it makes, that if it had fallen off somehow, surely I would have been aware immediately and been able to pick it up. During each of my many moves, it would have been packed with care and attention. I would have been able to unpack it and wear it again after settling into the new place.

The silver charm bracelet makes me think of the proverbs that compare wisdom with silver, gold, and jewels. Wisdom, personified, speaks:

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Proverbs 8:10-11)

Wisdom and knowledge in themselves are more precious than tangible, physical wealth. Additionally, what results in a person's life because she seeks wisdom is more precious than riches: 

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. (Proverbs 8:19)

What are the results of seeking wisdom? Proverbs 8 mentions many qualities that wisdom possesses, such as nobility, truth, insight, strength, justice, and righteousness. To wrap it all up, wisdom declares that "whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord" (8:35) rather than "injur[y]" and "death" (36). Yes, life and favor from the God of the universe seem more valuable than silver! I would like to find those things more than my missing charm bracelet.

Proverbs further explains that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (9:10). The way to start seeking wisdom is to revere and acknowledge the sovereignty of the Holy God who made us and knows what is ultimately best for us, trusting and submitting ourselves to His loving care. But Psalm 111:10 suggests that the fear of the Lord is not just a decision to be made in one moment and then forgotten:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

To seek and to attain wisdom, we must continually practice the fear of the Lord. It is an ongoing choice we must exercise as we make decisions, talk with people, and work at our jobs. The fear of the Lord should be part of the daily ensemble with which we dress ourselves. "His praise endures forever," and we can make our lives a part of that forever praise.

It is a big challenge to daily practice the fear of the Lord in my own life, with a toddler and a house to keep up with, and when even getting enough sleep is difficult to achieve. But I know that I don't want my relationship with God, and the wisdom and blessing that come with knowing Him, to be lost in a box somewhere. I want to keep these precious things close to me, like a piece of jewelry that I wear every day. I want them to be so habitual that if I drop them, I notice something missing. I'm praying that God will help me see the small and simple ways throughout the day that I can seek and honor Him.

Peppermint Lemons

Once when I was a kid my cousins from about eight hours away came to visit during the summer. My aunt, who happens to be one of the neatest ladies I know, gave us a special snack one afternoon while we took a break from swimming in the pool in the backyard. She cut holes into unpeeled lemons and stuck soft, fat peppermint sticks (the kind that dissolve easily) into the holes. The candy sticks acted like straws after we started to suck on them, because the acidic lemon juice worked its way inside and made holes through the candy. Those simple lemons became especially refreshing sweet and sour treats through the creative addition of sugary mediators.

My two-year-old daughter came down with a nasty stomach bug this week and was vomiting for a night and a day. She could hardly keep down even simple liquids. Ice chips saved the day that first day of sickness, keeping her hydrated, at least. The second day, she stopped throwing up and was able to keep down some liquids and food, though she was still zombie-like (definitely not her usual, energetic self). The third day, she finally showed signs of returning to normal levels of talking and activity, a huge relief.

Though the first couple of days of her sickness were trying and we lost a lot of sleep on the first night, I rather enjoyed the lazy and cuddly quality the days took on. My daughter and I spent a lot of time situated comfortably on the couch (which I now need to clean), either listening to music or watching a baby animals show, and dozing on and off throughout the day. We both benefited from the catch-up on sleep and rest, and I greatly enjoyed the way my daughter relaxed with her head in my lap or stretched out flat while I rubbed her back. Touch is one of my strongest love languages, and usually she doesn't sit still long enough for me to even brush out her hair.

Uncomfortable, sour-tasting events make us wince, like sucking on a plain lemon. But if we can find something sweet in the midst of the situation, our perspective can change. The hard thing may not go away, and we will still have to deal with it, and dealing with it may not at all be easy. But the flavor of the day can be transformed, even though we still have to eat the sour part of it.

Sweetness in the middle of sickness.

Rest when we needed it.

Cuddles make everything better.

Furniture Un-Success

September 30, 2016

I want a space to myself:
pink, with a blue desk that doesn't
smell like cigarette smoke.
Isn't almost-the-right-thing
worse than
nothing-at-all-yet?
And what am I to do
with the drawer that sticks
and stinks even though I tried
filling each cavity with the thick scent
of lavender oil,
using tiny, handmade sachets?
All that work
for nothing.
That drawer didn't stick
until I had painted the thing.
And it all sat outside for a week, collecting
extra bug parts and mysterious
white clusters of malicious, minuscule eggs.
Sun and air were supposed to work
magic.
Nothing.
And my husband says it's all in my head
anyway, but what does that matter
when you want a space
all to yourself,
pink, with a blue desk for the
sewing machine your mom gave you,
a space for silence and whirring and
needles?