The Nifty Book of Proverbs

If you’ve ever read the Bible, you know that the book of Proverbs is one of the more straightforward, in-your-face types of enlightening reads you’ll ever find. Proverbs is blunt (you’ll probably get called a fool more than once). Proverbs is simple and easy to understand (go to the ant thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise). And most of all, Proverbs is ruthlessly practical on many topics—covering everything from your marriage and career to your choice of friends and words.

The Wisdom of Proverbs

I’ve always had a liking for Proverbs. I’ve always gotten good hardcore truth about my life from her pages. But what hadn’t even hit me was how niftily written the book of Proverbs is. Wouldn’t you know that there are 31 chapters in this book, all of a reasonable length? What this has done for me is something huge. I had made a commitment (like the many out there who figured this out long before I was born) to read one chapter daily every month. It is perfect.

I can do it in less than five minutes a day. It also appeals to me because it fits within each month nicely. The friend who turned me on to this has been reading through proverbs for years and is grandly wiser. Like a familiar friend giving nutritional advice over and over and over again, Proverbs is her companion.

A Special Supplement

Sure this isn’t the extent of her spirituality. You don’t fall in love with God blasting through a passage on how to go about life every morning. It’s more like a special supplement to one’s mental diet. It’s the mental breakfast of champions. My friend told me more than once that digesting her daily passage from Proverbs has become so much a part of her morning ritual she can’t imagine life without it.

And here’s the kick. As a leader of a diverse and demanding company, she is never without wisdom for each situation. She says that as the circumstances arise, a sentence here or there will come to mind, and immediately she’ll have a deep sense of how best to maneuver the day successfully. She says it’s marvelously helpful.

Well, this has me hooked. I will read Proverbs 20 today, as this is the 20th of the month, and soak up the wisdom there in all its short sweetness. Yes, and in doing so, I’m (as Covey would say) sharpening my saw—that is, my mind and heart—and thus keeping myself fit for the life I’ve been given. How good is that?

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Claire Worley writes from the Pacific Northwest.

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