Thought for Monday, July 8th

Being raised in a broken and dysfunctional home, as a new bride, I had absolutely no idea of how a marriage was supposed to work.  I was chatty and talkative and couldn't wait to talk my new husband's ear off the minute he came in from work.  Pastor, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved.  Because I didn't know how to get the attention I craved, I would start arguments.  I reasoned that if we were fighting, at least we were talking, and in some strange way, it brought me security.  There are many reasons why people are content with strife. Some ladies may bicker and fight because it's all they know; others because it's a mask for what's truly bothering them.  Whatever the reason though, creating strife will only, in the long, run, make you miserable.  Proverbs 17:14 says that, 

"The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with."

That's how arguments are, don't you think?  Most of the time, they begin with something minor, something even miniscule.  But, if allowed to fester, the tiny disagreement turns into a full-blown, all-out fight.  The Scripture compares it to letting out water.  Have you ever unplugged the bathtub stopper after a bath and watched the little tornado of water escape down the drain?  At first, the water goes down without much fanfare; but, after a while, it begins to churn and turn until it's making that distinctive whistling noise that signals it's almost empty.  That's how strife is.  We need to be careful not to be so willing to argue and fight.  In fact, we need to be, on purpose and with practice, slow to strive.

"Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof ,"  Proverbs 25:8.

Scripture Reading for the Day:

Proverbs 8
Matthew 15