Building a House – Lessons from Proverbs 14

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish woman pulls it down with her hands.” This comes from Proverbs 14:1 and it never made much sense to me. Why would anyone in their right mind pull down their own house?

Until . . . .

The other day I sat at my computer scanning social media. If you read my last post about the little things then you already know that social media can be an easy excuse for me. This particular day, it was just something to do because nobody was doing much of anything. It was a do nothing day.

I got up to go and make some coffee in the kitchen and tripped over half a dozen pair of shoes sprawled around the dining room. “I wish the boys would pick up their things.” I shook my head at the mess but continued on into the kitchen.

The sink was full, so I had to shift some things around to rinse out the carafe. “I wish Keith would get these cleaned up instead of sleeping all day.” My husband was still sound asleep despite the sun streaming in through the window. I shook my head and started the coffee maker.

I walked on through the house and around the hall back to the room where I had started. I had to step over a pile of blankets that my youngest had used earlier to build a fort. “I wish he would learn to fold the blankets when he was done.” I shook my head and curled back up on the couch to scan social media a little more while I waited for the coffee.

And then I got it.

It is not that the foolish woman walks around the house pulling things down and tearing things up. Instead, the foolish woman makes the conscious choice not to do what she knows to do and that results in the issues that destroy the home.

I still have those moments when I make the conscious decision not to do what I know to do – although I am getting better at catching myself in those moments. Making the choice to do it will not only get me closer to being where I desire, but it will teach my children to make better choices in their own life. In the end, that is the way I build my house – one choice at a time.

Be blessed,