The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (25 page)

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April 1

Human Kindness

     
A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,

          
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

What this proverb is talking about is just plain decency, human kindness, and diligence. A godly man or woman is kind. There shouldn’t be a mean bone in their bodies. Really, this trait carries through in all of their actions, from not neglecting to feed the dog to not neglecting to open the door for a young mommy going into WalMart with a baby in her arms. Kindness is making sure we notice the needs that are all around us and then doing what we can and what we should.

The other side of this proverb is an interesting statement: “Even the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Maybe this means that some acts seem kind on the outside, but in the end, they hurt more than help. Right now in the name of kindness Planned Parenthood is handing out condoms and abortions to young girls. This action is a message that you are safe if there is no physical consequence to sexual promiscuity, but when these same girls drive home after the abortions with a huge hole in their hearts, they’re not prepared for the devastation. This is cruel.

Did you know that 33 percent of all American women will have an abortion, but hardly any of them ever talk about it, and some never tell anyone? It lingers as a silent shame and ungrieved grief.

My sisters, right now I have a burden for you who have this hole in your heart even after many years. Focus on the Family put out a wonderful little booklet called
Healing the Hurt
. You can order it from their website (
family.christianbook.com
) or download it free (
www.heartlink.org
) for yourself or someone you love.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

A few years ago, my friend told me her testimony, which included going to an abortion clinic alone as a seventeen-year-old girl. As she finished the story, she turned and said, “Now I think you don’t love me.” This was my wake-up call to the pain that lingers. My friend went through an online Bible study from Healing Hearts Ministries and now leads others in their path to restoration. Will you go to their website,
www.healinghearts.org
, and find forgiveness and healing too?

One Year Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 18:1–20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10

April 2

Get to It!

     
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread,

     
But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.

In our proverb today we have a picture of two ways of living.

To be
frivolous
is to be “self-indulgent, unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose.” Obviously, this is not recommended for us as godly women.

The other way of living is a get-to-it way. We are to be diligent and responsible. First things first. No job is going to be finished unless it’s started. If your house is dirty or run down, daydreaming is not going to change it. Get up and do the first thing. Clean a bathroom, do a load of laundry, paint one room. Get started. With the economy the way it is, we have to stop eating out all of the time. If you’re going to be out all day, put something in the Crock-Pot before you leave, and pack a sandwich for your lunch. Before you go to the grocery store, sit down with the sale flyer from the newspaper. Make your decisions about what you’re going to buy according to what’s on sale that week. If chuck roast and potatoes are on sale, buy several. Plan ahead. Put one in the freezer. Bake enough potatoes for several days. Take the small steps of preparation today, and you will make your dollar stretch for tomorrow.

First Thessalonians 4:11-12 has a practical good word: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands . . . so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so you will not have to be dependent on anybody” (
NIV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

April is spring-cleaning month, so before the weather gets nice, let’s tackle an “inside job.” Put on some praise music and tackle one cabinet, drawer, or closet at a time. The secret is to use three bins or boxes. Bin #1 is for trash. It is for the easy-to-identify “why was I keeping these dried-out markers or worn-out tennis shoes” kinds of items. Bin #2 is for the “give to charity or a friend” items. Bin #3 is for the keepers. These are the things you actually need and will use. As you finish, taste the victory. Good job!

One Year Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 21:1–22:30; Luke 9:51–10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11

April 3

Trouble with Words

     
An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,

          
but a righteous man escapes trouble.

Second Thessalonians 1:6 says, “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you” (
NIV
).

I’m reading a book called
The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham
by Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. Chapter 5 is titled “Loving Harsh Critics.” Here’s an excerpt. “All leaders get criticized. It’s their response to criticism that sets them apart.” When unfairly, untruthfully attacked, this was Billy Graham’s response: “By God’s grace I shall continue to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and not stoop to mudslinging, name-calling, and petty little fights over nonessentials.” Good job, Billy Graham.

Winston Churchill said, “By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.” Yes, Winston, “A righteous man escapes trouble.”

So for us as women, let’s also not get pulled into petty little fights. If someone has said something harsh or untrue about you, kick it to the curb. That’s my new favorite visual and saying—“just kick it to the curb” and move on.

Recently I found myself really upset over some unkind things said about me. It hurt. It hurt to know that others listened. I’d be dishonest if I said that I didn’t think of a few hurtful things to say back. But then I thought,
That is just not how I want to use my energy. It doesn’t honor God, it doesn’t feel good once it’s said, and, well, it’s just bad business
. So I decided to kick it to the curb, give it to God, and move on.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

What if you are the one who has said something you know is wrong and hurtful? We all need to learn a very old and helpful skill called
the apology
. Here are the basics. You need to take responsibility without blaming. You need to make your apology sincere and simple. And you need to say, “I’m sorry,” and mean it. Will you do it? Will you do it today?

One Year Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 23:1–25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14