My Own Understanding

Sometimes the verses we know so well seem to jump out at us when we least expect it. I've had a lot on my mind lately, and the other day I turned on the Christian radio station and heard a snippet of a radio program in which the preacher was talking about Proverbs 3:5-6:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

The preacher was at that moment emphasizing the part about not leaning on our own understanding, and it was something I needed to hear. I was reminded of how I sometimes get so caught up in what I know and what I think I know that I become the kind of person who gets prideful and even a tad self-righteous concerning others who don't know what I know, you know? And then I become anxious or impatient or a bit lacking in the area of compassion and forbearance. But the Lord is good, and knows how to humble us and make our paths straight.

I hope that as you read my blog, you would constantly be directed to the Lord. Trust in Him with all your heart, not just the parts that you're comfortable with, but with all your heart. Not clinging onto or locking up those parts of your heart that you just don't want to let go of yet. Trust Him with all of your heart. And trust that your own understanding is only a partial picture; He sees in full, and knows in full. Even the hard facts that you know can be misinterpreted by your own understanding. Trust in Him. And acknowledge Him. Don't just say, "Yeah, I know You're here God," and continue to focus on the problem before you. A private in the military acknowledges a superior officer by standing at attention and saluting, which demonstrates respect and a willingness to readily obey the commands of the officer. He stands in silence waiting for orders. As long as the officer is in the private's presence, the private remains ready and at attention, unless commanded to be at ease. I don't tend to think of God in that way. Maybe I should more! I often used to (and sometimes still do) imagine that God is standing right behind me, with His hand lovingly and gently holding my shoulder, occasionally leaning into me to whisper His words into my ear. He is intimately acquainted with all my ways, it says in Psalm 139. As I listen to His words, He guides me in the way I should go.

Okay, that's all my preaching for now. I have a couple of incredible pictures of the garden from harvesting this morning. Today is very humid and the heat index is over 100. Thankfully our neighbors invited us over for a dip in the pool, which felt wonderful. I'm still waiting for good zucchini recipes. I'll have to start posting recipes as well!