October 2012 Devotional

Carol Williams

Proverbs 14.1

Building

I opened my Bible the other day and it opened to Proverbs 14:1. "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tear hers down." That verse really struck me. How can I "build up my house" and how do "I tear down your house"?

Often I’m frustrated with my husband, normal for any couple. I have a choice to make I can support my house/family or tear it down.

I started to think about the different ways:

• praying for my husband,
• be patient with family members,
• giving encouragement instead of criticism to my family,
• keeping my attitude positive instead of grumpy,
• controlling my temper,
• looking for a way to resolve problems instead of arguing about them,
• truly listening to what my husband thinks rather than just telling him only what I think and ignoring his opinion.

It's easy to "build up our house" and good for the family. But the consequence for "tear down our house" is foolish.

Bible verse from the New International Version