Mocking eyes (Prayer Devotional for the week of June 17, 2012)

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While David ruled in the city of Hebron as King of Judah, he fathered six sons. Then, he reigned in Jerusalem for another 33 years, during which time he fathered 13 more sons (1 Chronicles 3). That’s 19 boys, not including daughters and illegitimate children with his concubines … but that’s not our focus today. You may be familiar with David’s most famous son, Solomon, because he not only went on to succeed David as king, but he also penned several of the proverbs that we’ve been discussing in our current series. However, let’s direct our attention today to a lesser-known son named Adonijah.

Adonijah was a middle child, by every definition of the term. He was the fourth among the sons born in Hebron. Some say that middle children vie for attention because they feel a need to assert their place in the family mix, and Adonijah fit that bill perfectly.

1 Kings 1 picks up the story when David is elderly. David had previously stated that Solomon would become king after him, but apparently, he had never actually relinquished the throne. So, while David was on bedrest, Adonijah decided to seize the opportunity to make a name for himself, and he rallied some friends together for a party and appointed himself king.

Gutsy move, Adonijah! The author of 1 Kings makes a point to let the reader know that “His father had never rebuked him by asking, ‘Why do you behave as you do?’ He was also very handsome …” (v. 6, NIV). Ah, so Adonijah was one of those guys — a sexy-and-he-knows-it spoiled brat. You’ll have to read the story to find out how it ends, but I wonder if the tale would have unfolded at all if David had set boundaries for Adonijah when he was younger.

Proverbs 30:17 (NIV) says, “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.” Ok, your eyes may not be eaten by vultures literally, but the penalties still could be severe. Don’t be like Adonijah; take instruction to heart and learn from it.

Cat is out of the bag

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(What does that saying really mean, anyway? When I had a cat years ago, I had to scoop her up in a pillowcase in order to transport her anywhere, because she was terrified of carriers. She would flail around, bite and shriek like a banshee!)

Anyway, I believe it means the news is public, so if I could get a drum roll, please …

Badumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadum …

I have a new job! 🙂

I will start in 17 days, 14 hours and 59 minutes the first week of July, and I’m very excited about it (if you couldn’t tell). In a nutshell, I will be working on gerontology research projects within the School of Social Work. I tried not to get too geeked out when they started talking about analysis and methodologies, but I am stoked about the opportunity to be involved in the research process!

Some of my role will be helping to code qualitative interviews, wrangling various projects that are taking place around the division, keeping track of deadlines, reviewing literature and editing. It sounds fascinating, and I can’t wait to learn more!

This is the situation that I alluded to the other day about trusting God and not feeling like I have to solve everything myself, because, quite frankly, my solutions pale in comparison to what God has in store.

The past several days/weeks/months have been a growing process for me, especially in recent days as the pieces have come together. This experience has taught me to be careful about becoming complacent, to be thankful for my provisions, and to recognize that “my” skills and “my” expertise only exist because of my awesome and amazing Maker.

This new role is a shift in career paths, which is by no means a bad thing, but it does mean that the road looks different. I’m just focusing on learning the way and enjoying the scenery as I travel. For too long, I’ve been staring at the center stripe and anxiously glancing in the rearview mirror. It’s time to look forward, roll down the windows and welcome the fresh air!

Don’t panic …

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Hearkening to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, one of the most quotable lines in sci-fi fandom is: “Don’t Panic and Carry a Towel.” If you haven’t read the book, then it won’t make much sense (and even if you have read the book, it still takes a bit of imagination!). The premise seems to be: Don’t panic, because there is always a logical solution or a way out.

I’m in the middle of a huge transition that makes me want to grab hold of my figurative towel like a security blanket. Gears are in motion; processes are processing out of my control. I’m along for the ride, hoping and praying that I won’t be left holding the bag (or my towel, as it were) when the dust settles. I feel confident that the pieces will fall into place, though there are still many what-ifs to deal with.

As I get older, I realize more and more that our Almighty God is a God of “what-ifs.” Even when I wonder how things will work out in the end, I know that I need to trust and obey. I’d like to think that I’m getting better at trusting and obeying, but I suppose it depends on the situation … it’s a lot easier to “obey” when the end result seems to be all in your favor. It’s a lot more difficult when sacrifices are involved.

Even still, I trust him. I have to! I can’t do this thing we call “life” all on my own strength and cunning plans … I have to trustingly rely on his will to come to pass. And, if I’m in his will, then it will all work out, in the end.