Being Reverent

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 28

Gold Nugget

Verse 14: “Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”

Commentary

The older I get, the clearer some things become. I was raised to say yes sir, yes ma’am, no sir, no ma’am, etc. I've always done it and often pay the same respect to people younger than me, but without exception to my elders. When we were being raised, it was apparent that the adults were smarter and wiser. Today we see less and less of that type of acknowledgement to those to whom honor is due. I’m not just talking about saying sir and ma’am, I’m talking about acknowledging that the elders could possibly possess any more than what young men believe they already have in wisdom and knowledge. They harden their hearts as today’s “gold nugget” says and they forsake reverence towards those that could save them from calamity. Today's "gold nugget" says, “Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”

We seem to outgrow having reverence towards those that are due and seek it for our own before it is earned. As we get older we see that our mindset of thinking "I know it all" ends up falling well short of its promise. Often we find out after much self-induced hardships and pain. We could easily say that it is the circle of life and each of us will pass through it. I wish that were merely the case, but it is apparent that it has gotten more and more severe with less people passing “through” it and more living “in” it. We must not only cut short our time in this foolish state, but also challenge those of the next generation to steer clear of its dangerous wages. The sooner we see the need for seeking guidance from those that have walked the path we still have before us, the sooner we will find the journey passable and victorious.

Prayer

Lord, there have been many that have walked the path that you have laid before me. There are many that can teach me and guide me. Help me to do better to embrace their wisdom with reverence that is due them and find a walk that is sometimes free from the obstacles that they have cleared from their walk. Amen

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