Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Jan. 12, 2012

“Revisiting an Old Friend”
“Long life is in her (Wisdom’s) right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor." – Proverbs 3:16 (New International Version, emphasis mine)

If this is the first time you’ve read this “column” or have just started reading it allow me the opportunity to do a quick review on what the Proverbs is all about and why it is such a great book.
I see the book of Proverbs as God's means for those who earnestly desire to expand their knowledge and wisdom of life and for life! Not just spiritually but also experientially. The Proverbs are for those who have a real goal to be the absolute best that they can be! Through them God is saying, "Do not settle for a surface knowledge. Do not be content with little. Dig as deep and as far as you can for that is where life’s real treasures are found."
Life is hard enough without instruction or direction – so why not have something that will provide this existence with the wisdom to handle the hardships we encounter? And what better wisdom could we have than from the Creator of life itself? What better instruction on how to live than from the one who is life?
This particular verse says that Wisdom (the mind of God to be more specific) carries with her three things. [Long] life in one hand, with riches and honor in the other. Without going into specifics, suffice it to say that God’s Wisdom makes life worth the living. It offers real solutions and real directions when we have lost our way. “Long life” does not necessarily mean the length of our days as much as it describes having a meaningful existence. John Eldredge says, “The person who lives life with a passion will get more life out of one day than some will experience over their entire lifetime.” What better way to live life than that?
Shortly after humorist Erma Bombeck died of kidney failure, April 22, 1996, cartoonist Bil Keane, her longtime friend and neighbor in Paradise Valley, Arizona, drew a special Family Circus cartoon. A tribute by Keane also appeared on the brochure for Bombeck's funeral mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, attended by 1,200 people who cried and laughed at recollections of her.
Bombeck once wrote a column about heaven in which she speculated that "it's probably just one big Jeopardy! game in the sky, where all day long you struggle to remember names."
Bombeck, who was married to Bill Bombeck, for almost 50 years, brought laughter to millions with her newspaper and magazine articles, columns and books. Keane once paid this tribute to her: "My friend Erma Bombeck has done far more for the health of humanity than many doctors! She had a passion for life and humor. She taught us that life should consists of joy and humor...and joy is the best medicine that I have found!" "Most of my readers are housewives," Bombeck once wrote. "We're all in this mess together. Let's get some fun out of it!"
Second, “riches” are not always found in bank accounts or in treasure chests, but often in relationships and family! Often times (at least from my perspective) the wealthiest people in this life are great friends!
Third, “honor” is worth more than fame or glory! In fact, some of the most famous people who have lived were those who had less than sparkling reputations. A good name is worth its weight in gold!
Conclusion: don’t accept anything less than what could be yours. Don’t just scratch the surface when the real treasure of life is a bit deeper!
Pastor J. T. Carnell