"Don't Assume You Know It All"

Proverbs 3: 1-12 (The Message)

"Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you;
take to heart my commands.
They'll help you live a long, long time,
a long life lived full and well.

Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this."

Recently, this passage has been knocking at my door. My heart longs to fulfill these things but sometimes, I feel reluctant. So, I've been asking myself these questions all week:

-Where have I assumed that I know it all?
-Which areas of my life do I honestly need God's loving discipline?

Reflection in writing and silence helps me to hear God. I feel so in tune with God when I write. I fall in love with words as I witness their unique curves on paper. Every thought turns into a stroke, which turns into a letter, which makes a word, which produces a sentence, which reveals the thought that lay floating in my mind. Words are a language. They are a form of expression. A pen makes them come alive on paper. Just like a baby takes its first breath, words are the key to a person's heart. If a person is loving, such complimentary actions will follow. If a person uses hurt as a form of communication, their words will express their agony and brokenness inside.

May we be humble enough to hear someone's cry for love, this simple love that looks and does not judge.

A love that hugs and does not kill.
A love that sees right through to a person's inner being and feels absolutely no shame.
A love that resembles a husband who looks at his wife and falls in love with her every day.
A love that enjoys spending time with a person. No words are needed here.
A love that witnesses the anguish and decides to act.
A love that just is.