"She Laughs at the Time to Come..."

"Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come." Proverbs 31:25

               In times of unrest and uncertainty, our natural inclination might lead us down a path of fear and worry. Some of us struggle with this for many years, while others do not. So begs the question. How do we come to a place in life where we are able to laugh in the face of difficult times? Do we follow the latest seven steps to faith and happiness program, or do we look ourselves in the mirror each morning repeating positive thinking mantras? A Proverbs 31 woman is described as a God fearing woman; does she look to self-help books for answers? I am confident the Proverbs 31 woman is able to laugh at the time to come because she is at peace; she rests on the promises of God's Word that assures her of her position as a redeemed daughter and from Whom her strength and dignity comes.

For most of my childhood years, I lived on eggshells. I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Don’t get me wrong. I have many happy childhood memories for which I thank God. Behind the scenes in the day-to-day, however I constantly lived without a sense of security and it was never okay to talk about it. Naturally, I grew up struggling with fear, worry and anxiousness. So much so, that it would cause me to hyperventilate. It was debilitating and embarrassing, to say the least.

In my late teens, I poured over self-help books for meditation and breathing techniques to cope in stressful times. It was around this time that I also felt a prick, a gnawing feeling each time I heard someone talk about their faith. My fiancé and I both grew up with nominal religion, yet we believed it was important to have 'religion' in our married lives. So he and I began to regularly attend a few different Roman Catholic churches for a couple of years. For us, we found that we had more questions than answers. And, I still continued to struggle with fear and worry inwardly.

A few years after marrying my fiancé now husband, I began my journey to understanding the peace that would eventually replace my debilitating fears and worries in the summer of 1995. One afternoon, a pastor came to visit my younger brother. I was so leery of his motives that I tried to shoe him out of our home. He asked if I had any questions about what was written in the Bible. I said, yes. After a few hours of him patiently answering questions and explaining who Jesus Christ is, what He did, and what He really offers the world -- straight from the Bible, my husband and I accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. I'm not going to say that my world went from dull grey to sunshiney color; however, he shared truths about God, His promises, faith and trust in a way that neither my husband nor I were ever taught. And, for the first time in my life, I truly felt hopeful and peaceful as if I no longer had a load of burdens to carry alone.

 

            As I began to study God's Word, I found a passage in the book of John that brought it home for me. Specifically, there's a verse where Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" {John 14:27}. Whoa! What freedom that brought me! For when I bought into the world's promises to a seven step to faith and happiness plan, philosophical or newest new age book, they never really worked, especially not the ones that 'mixed' in a Scripture verse or two. The temporal fixes the world offered only misled and confused me, and they cost me too much money, frustration, and tears. Yet, it was nowhere near what Christ Jesus paid with His life to redeem me and for the peace I now have in Him {Gal. 3:13}.

That night, God transformed my heart to: understand His Word, believe who He said He is, and trust in Him for my salvation. Trust did not come easy for me, but over the years He has shown me how to trust Him daily. He continues to grant me the grace and faith to persevere on this side of heaven. It has been a journey for which I can only give God all the glory.

As a redeemed daughter, I now have the peace of Christ to rest in Him and His promises. He renews my mind each day and transforms my heart more and more into the image He created me to be. He clothes me with His strength and dignity, so I too can laugh at the time to come. {2Cor. 4:16, Isa. 26:3, Ephe. 1:2-14, 1Tim. 1:12, Prov. 31:25} Trials and difficulties will happen in life. I must choose to gird myself with His Word and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the prince of peace {1Peter 1:3-9, Titus 3:4-7}.

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

- Sonia