Laying Up Sound Wisdom For the Righteous
Today's Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-12
John looked forward to spring, and for good reason. Winter produced more challenges than he was prepared for. A huge ice storm followed a record snowfall. Electric lines and fences came down. How grateful he was to have that old storm cellar. With minimal renovation, it took the place of their refrigerator/freezer. Cooking happened on their outdoor grill, and fireplaces came to life to fight off the cold.
Marilyn Nelson is a retired Christian social minister and seminary professor.
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His next big concern was the cattle. Fences gone, they wandered as they pleased. Getting hay to them was practically impossible. If that problem didn’t get solved, it would be a long, lean winter.
John realized that his neighbor, Jay, had it much worse. New to stock farming, Jay had run out of time and resources to fill his barn for the winter, and had not gotten all his cattle branded. He feared he might never see them again.
Gradually, cattle from around the area headed to John’s barn where hay was plentiful. John noticed several unbranded cattle. He recalled previous winters when his cattle got out, and he never saw them again. He remembered how hard it had been to get back on the “plus” side. Recalling words from Proverbs 3:7 (KJV): “[God] layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous; He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly,” John kept his vow to the Lord, feeding Jay’s cattle and making sure they were returned to him after the storm.
Home from school, the kids were getting restless. Jay found the hood off an old pick-up. Any piece of land remotely resembling a hill was quickly transformed into a snow slide. Friendships blossomed as they spent time together in work and play.
Appreciatively, Jay said, “Thank you for being a true friend.”
“God is good,” John responded, “Friendship means more than riches.”
