Trudging On Through Proverbs

Trudging? Really? That’s the word that comes to mind while reading through one of the books of God’s Word? 

Yes. Definitely trudging.

Trudging to me brings to mind a deliberate plodding, persevering, and a not-always-fun performance of doing the right thing.

That definition is an accurate portrayal of where I am currently, halfway through my month-long study of Proverbs.

There are several types of reading in my mind. There is recreational reading, reading for information, required (professional?) reading, and then there is the kind in which the words leap off the page and slap me upside my big old head. My adventure in Proverbs fits the last definition the best.

Maybe it’s because I’ve slowed down this time, looking for specific passages that “speak” to me, instead of cherry-picking verses that fit a particular need. Whatever the case, this more deliberate read-through is hitting a lot closer to home. Because of these closer-to-home hits, my motivation for reading has moved categories. I began in the Enthusiastically Drawing Closer To God category, and now I have moved into the Thank You Lord, May I Have Another camp. You see, being humbled and reminded of how I should live is not always a joyful experience. But it is a necessary experience. So the motivation has changed because the message is being more clearly received.

I don’t think the change in motivation is a bad thing, either. In fact, I believe it to be just what I need. This Process in Proverbs in many ways mimics our Christian lives. We begin as new believers feeling all tingly inside, on an emotional high because we have accepted a free gift with eternal consequences and rewards. Then we get more into the nuts & bolts of what it means to follow Christ, which is not always rainbows and sunshine. Being a Christian requires dedication and perseverance. The reality is that there are still highs and lows in life, just as some of the scripture in Proverbs builds us up and other parts break us down.

Anything worth learning well requires hard work. Some days I look back over my notes at the passages that spoke to me in days past, and I am surprised at how plainly the Lord is speaking to me through His Book. I am equally surprised at how difficult it is for me to obey what He is telling me. I think it is because what I should do and what I selfishly want to do doesn’t always match up. Does that ever happen to you? Or am I the only one?

So onward I trudge, trusting that the seed planted from His Word is never in vain, trying to do a little better today than yesterday. I’m not sure where this journey will take me by the month’s end; the one assurance I have is that I will be moved off of where I was before it started. That most assuredly, would be a worthy outcome.