Unexpectedly Finished

On Friday, I finished my verse by verse study of Proverbs. I didn't even realize it at the time. I had in my mind that I had started in Chapter 27 and had about a month to go. Then on Saturday morning I was looking over the downstairs bookshelf and happened to see my first Proverbs notebook (the first half - it took 2 notebooks). I flipped it open and was astonished to see that I started in Chapter 26! So I didn't even do a single verse twice (not that that would have been a bad thing!). The official count is 2 years, 7 months, 15 days.



I cannot claim to be wiser than I was at the start of this, in fact I am more convinced than before of my lack of wisdom and (especially) of my need of it! I am not sure wisdom is something that can be owned. I think its (or her! Pro. 1:20) potential to be tapped is available at every choice we make, but that we don't always choose to embrace it. I know I don't.

I don't think wisdom is necessarily gained with age, but for some people I'm sure it can be. They say "some people have to learn the hard way", but they also say "some people never learn." It's true.

I did learn one lesson well though - doing something slowly does not mean it won't get done. Being challenged to not underestimate what I can do in the long term is what started this in the first place. Sometimes I get a lot done, but at heart, I am really easily overwhelmed. I can't take on too many tasks at once or I abandon all of them. In the past, if I couldn't achieve something quickly, I wasn't interested in doggedly pursuing it. But I am starting to be content with making a small deposit of effort to achieve a long term goal. It's not a race anyway.

Ultimately I believe it is God's faithfulness and not my own determination that allowed me to finish the task. There are a thousand things that could have interrupted it. I only wish I had been more faithful to really mull over each and every verse.