The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."  (Proverbs 14:1)

Making a Commitment to the Wise Building Life

Posted on by Michele Morin

Sunday Scripture

I crave wisdom even more than a single-digit jeans size.
All the time, I come face to face with the realization that intelligence, talent, cleverness, or stellar SAT scores pale in comparison to the house-building wisdom of Proverbs 14:1.

The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”  (Proverbs 14:1)

When I fling wide my door in welcome to family and friends, hauling the batch of  soup out of the freezer or the chips and salsa from the pantry shelves to make the meal stretch, I am in building mode.

When I hunker down to build block towers with my grands and ignore the layer of dust on the piano, I am investing wisely.

When I embrace the truth that my opinion is not required on every topic and at every occasion, I am resisting the wreckage of too many words, because there’s an embedded warning here in the second clause,  and its wording prevents the reader from casting blame anywhere but her own poor choices:  “with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”

The Hebrew word for foolish comes from the same root as the word evil. I’ve seen this with my own eyes, and likely you have, too. When I’ve spoken words of warning to women in the tearing down process, their responses have been chilling–not hormonal, not simply careless, but headlong forays into the dark pit of selfishness and heartbreak for everyone in the household.

Rather than ending on this sad note, let’s commit ourselves today to the building life. God’s mercy and forgiveness are rich for redeeming the foolish destruction.
His wisdom is the gift extended to all who come empty:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  (James 1:5)

 

Let’s be builders together,

michele signature[1]

Subscribe to Living Our Days to get regular content delivered to your inbox. Just enter your e-mail address in the field at the top of this page.

Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

37 thoughts on “Making a Commitment to the Wise Building Life”

  5. Oh, if I had just memorized that scripture when young. So many words, and happenings, over a lifetime that can be regretted. Praise Jesus for a forgiving Father, and for becoming more wise.

    Like

  9. Great post, Michele! “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” (Proverbs 14:1) is a passage of Scripture I have to repeat to myself over and over again. Thanks for this reminder!

    Pinned, tweeted and will share to the InstaEncouragements Facebook.

    Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!

    Like

  10. Michele, your words reflect great wisdom! As I read your thoughts about sharing your opinion, I. had to grin. Yesterday, my son told me about a meme a friend sent him. It showed a picture of the earth. And then the words, “What happens after (my son) shares his opinion.” and the next picture is of the earth exactly the same as the first one.

    It reminded me that, as you said, there are times to share our opinions, but we need to know when and how to share our thoughts . . . and when to stay quiet. Goodness knows I’ve shared too many opinions at the wrong time. God is refining us still.

    Like

  12. Your post reminds me of Mary Oliver’s story about building a little house for herself with her own hands. She occasionally needed to ask for help, just like we all do when we are building something as momentous as a house. Here’s to all the women who build and help, rather than tear down.

    Like

  14. I truly appreciate this post. Building a home with welcoming arms, a warm heart, and listening ears is a lesson we all need. Thank you for linking up.

    Like

  16. Thank you for a wise post, we need to hear these things. For some of us we need reminding many times over. With so much pseudo-spiritual advice around, you remind us to get our wisdom from the right source. This post will feature on the next Blogger’s Pit Stop.

    Like

  18. Such wonderful words of wisdom. If we could only have a heart to heart conversation with our younger selves to share these pearls of wisdom! I grew up in the church but did not spend as much time in God’s word as I should have! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger’s Pit Stop!

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.