Well… I drafted a blog post on Sunday, rewrote it on Monday, then again on Tuesday.  It is positive… and still not right.  I struggled with this one.  In fact, without some background, the post is too positive.  It is almost a metaphor for life in the world right now.

Life is a bit painful for all of us.  I’ll finish that blog post this weekend.  It will still be positive, but I’m thinking more about hope.  Let’s see what happens when I let the Holy Spirit lead.  Let’s pray, Holy Spirit guide me, settle my jumbled thoughts and take away my worries.  Bless the work of my hands.  Guide my words as I struggle to let go of what I think.  Let me be your vessel today. In Jesus, name Amen.

That leaves me where I am today.  I am still working from home.  My life has become a cycle of work and pain.  I haven’t gotten a break.  I’m still going to physical therapy and it’s painful.  Alright, I’ll admit it, I’m jealous.  People are talking about working on extra projects, learning new skills, or relaxing while we cocoon ourselves.  I feel stuck working and dealing with the chronic pain issue.

But wait, let’s not get out the violins yet.  This is not a Milly pity party.  Understand this, I hate that our world is going through another plague.  But on the other side of the story, this struggle may become one of the biggest blessings of my life.  I am alone with my God and family in a way I have never experienced before.  I may find another solution to ease my physical pain.

This is a time to find wisdom in the shadows:

¹⁰ She, when a righteous man fled from his brother’s anger,

    guided him in right ways,

Showed him the kingdom of God

    and gave him knowledge of holy things;

She prospered him in his labors

    and made abundant the fruit of his works,

¹¹ Stood by him against the greed of his defrauders,

    and enriched him;

¹² She preserved him from foes,

    and secured him against ambush,

And she gave him the prize for his hard struggle

    that he might know that devotion to God is mightier than all else.

 [Wisdom 10:12]

I found this scripture in a list of verses containing the word struggle.  This verse popped out at me.  I wasn’t sure it was the one I needed for this post. This scripture describes how Wisdom guided and blessed Jacob.  The amazing thing is my bible study right now is Jacob.  In seeking, I found something I had not read before.

The Book of Wisdom is not in the New King James Version I grew up reading. I find I only have snippets of information on the Book of Wisdom.  One thing I desire in life is wisdom and I know the proverbs teach us to find her.

I think know where this is going, I need to dig into the Word of God and find Wisdom.  If I understand it, she is elusive and hard to find.  It sounds like a grand adventure.  Are we up for it?  I guess I will need to set my jealousy and pettiness aside for this one.

I noticed the bottom line for Jacob in Wisdom 10:12:  And she gave him the prize for his hard struggle that he might know that devotion to God is mightier than all else. Our devotion to God is mightier than all else.  That is it in a nutshell.  If I want freedom from pain and I want wisdom, I need to work for it.  It means setting aside my earthly desires, like jealousy, then focus on my devotion to God.

Whatever struggle I fight my way through; God is stronger, wiser and mightier.  He is my refuge and my shield.   In 2 Samuel 22:1-4:

Song of Thanksgiving. ¹ David proclaimed the words of this song to the Lord when the Lord had rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the grasp of Saul. ² He said:

O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,

³     my God, my rock of refuge!

My shield, my saving horn,

my stronghold, my refuge,

my savior, from violence you keep me safe.

⁴ Praised be the Lord, I exclaim!

I have been delivered from my enemies.

We have an enormous enemy right now.  Some call it the Corona Virus.  I call it fear.  The plagues have always been with us.  They do not go away.  The fear destroys us from the inside out.

We must find wisdom.  But we who believe have something mightier than disease and fear.  Wisdom taught Jacob that devotion to God is mightier than all else.

Don’t give up.  Come closer to Him.  Take refuge in Him.  Find some time with your Lord today.

Blessings

Milly

P.S. All scripture is from the New American Bible Revised Edition

Photo by Valentin Salja on Unsplash