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My leisurely mornings of reading and Bible Study are temporarily a thing of the past.  We have a baby in the house.  She awakes me in the night, demanding attention, sometimes several times.  I can’t take my eyes off of her for more than a few minutes, or she will be into something she shouldn’t be.  But the joy of watching her discover new things and play makes me want to watch her anyway.  I know this time is fleeting, and before long she will be all grown up. I want to be sure I savor the time when she is little.

It has been a LONG time since I have raised a baby.  I have been reaching back in my memory to remember how to do things, but I have also been seeking advice and wisdom from experts and those who I see have good results from their practices.  I want to do my very best at raising a little girl who is well-adjusted and healthy.   And as with everything else in my life, I want to be sure that the counsel I follow meets God’s standards.

Wisdom is defined by Noah Webster as “The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them.”  It is not enough to know facts.  I need to know how to apply what I know in the best way to meet the favorable outcome I seek.

I have spoken often as the Bible of a source of knowledge.  In it, God reveals Himself and His plans and purposes for man.  And He gives us books of Wisdom.  Solomon, the Old Testament King known for asking God to make him wise enough to rule His people, wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.  These books of proverbs give us much practical wisdom.

In The Literary Study Bible, by Leland Ryken and Phillip Graham Ryken, a proverb is defined as: “A concise, memorable statement of general truth.  Proverbs express an insight into the repeatable situations of life.  They are often so striking that they do not merely express an insight, but compel it.  Proverbs are simultaneously simple and profound, specific and universal.  Proverbs achieve their memorable quality through tighter-than-normal syntax, figurative language and (frequently) the verse form of parallelism.  Proverbs are the human race’s testimony to its own experience, and they grow out of close observation, mostly of the social and human scene.”

In other words, proverbs speak wisdom, which is applicable to all aspects of our lives.

God also provided us with more practical advice on exercising our knowledge correctly in the New Testament Epistle of James.  Even though it begins like a letter, with a greeting, James is a collection of proverbs about what faith in action looks like.  Some are paragraph length, and some are simply a list.  They cover a diverse variety of subjects, but certainly come from actions the author observed and was divinely inspired to write about.  James 3:17 tells us,  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And the book of James is full of nuggets of wisdom that deal with simple and practical issues, which can be applied to all areas of life, including parenting.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (James 1:2-3).  Trials and tribulations are part of living with a baby, but I need to remember to be joyful as I meet them.  I have the privilege of raising the little one that God gave me, and He will work on my faith through the process.

 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)  God will guide me on this journey, if I just ask and trust His answers.

In chapter 3, James expands on Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 12: “ I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (36-37) Taming my tongue is important in all of my relationships.  The words I speak and the tone I use in reprimand and encouragement are important.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? (James 4:1) My husband and I have already begun craving sleep and “discussing” whose turn it is to get up with the baby.  Not always rational and kind in the middle of the night!

 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. (james 5:7)  This is perhaps the best advice for me right now, reminding me that all things happen in God’s time and I need to be patient as I wait.  A wonderful reminder as I struggle with putting aside my “to do” list to play with this rambunctious little one.  It has taken me days longer than usual to write this post, and that may be the case for a few months.  But seeing my girl grow up and mature into a well-adjusted, happy, healthy adult is worth the sacrifice, and the extra time.  This time of teething, and potty training, and the requirement for constant supervision will be over in the blink of an eye.

And Lord willing, she will be our companion for many years to come.  You see, this time, our baby is a Labradoodle puppy!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Diane