I am alive and well. I am very busy, but it is a good kind of busy. I have been thinking a lot about time and trying to see where God is leading me in terms of how I should spend this valuable resource. As I grow older, I am realizing that I need more wisdom. This is contrary to what most young people feel like when they are ... well, young. When I was young I saw many older people and felt like they had it all together and that they knew so much. Interestingly, if I could go back in time and talk to young Calvin, I could say that the latter statement is true. I do indeed know so much, but the funny thing about life is: the more you know, the more you don't know. If you don't get that, maybe I'll tell you when you're older.
This makes me think about a passage I read awhile back that caught my eye. Unsurprisingly, it is in Proverbs (16:31) Surrounding this thought is a lot of great wisdom and I think that's the point.
Check it out:
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
26 A worker’s appetite works for him;
his mouth urges him on.
27 A worthless man plots evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
29 A man of violence entices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
It seems to me that this proverb is giving us tips in working towards this righteous life, not in the works-based salvation sense, but the reality is if you choose the right options in these situations you will be a better person and if you are a Christian, you will know God better as well.
I think that only after you have lived a full righteous life can you wear the "crown of glory" in your old age and this means having the ability to look back on the long journey traversed alongside God through life and to look forward to seeing Him face to face. There is something to be said about that. I'd like to think that the end of my life I will look back with my gray hair crown and think about God like on does a dear old friend.
Unfortunately, I am not there yet. Just last semester I put a hole in the wall at my dorm... but as I look back at my life, I see progress and the unquestionable imprint of God's hands on it. And I praise God for yet another year of impact.
Now it is time for my first sleep as a 26 year old.
Cheers and thanks for the love.
c@s
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