Proverbs 11

Lord, I come to you in humble obedience. I know that I am far from perfect. I know that as I grow closer to you I will stumble and fall and I must remember to look to you to help me up. Or to help me realize I'm okay and that I am stronger than I think I am when you are with me. In Your Name I Pray, Amen

I could not pick just one verse to help understand this Proverb. There were many that spoke to me in many different ways. So here are the ones that stood out more than the others. I find the same recurring voice that wisdom is to be sought after in order to have a fulfilling life.

Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes,then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom"
My take: do not be boastful with nothing to back it up. Remain quiet until you can speak with wisdom, however do not speak to impress, simply speak to share your wisdom with others.


Proverbs 11:12 "He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, But a man of understanding holds his peace"
My take: If you have wisdom then you know how to control your anger and hate and you do not have to vent them as you would if you are ignorant.

Proverbs 11:17 "The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh."
My take: if you are merciful and compassionate then you will have peace down to your soul. If you are mean and hateful then you will be troubled not only in your mind, but anger and such can affect you physically.

Proverbs 11:22 "As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion."
My take: the ring may be made of gold and may be beautiful, but it's still attached to a nasty pig, so a woman may be beautiful but if she had a loose mouth or loose habits then she is just as ugly as the pig.

I have a problem with many of these things. Especially the anger. These words speak straight to my heart, reminding me that no matter your outside, if your inside is ugly then you will be also. I have been so obsessed with trying to get my outside to look better that I have forgotten that what I really need to do is make my soul more beautiful. When my soul is beautiful then the outside will become so.