Pertinent Proverbs

I’ve been reading ‘Proverbs’. There’s familiar bits, often quoted in churches, like: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…’ My grandma wrote that in my first Bible…

Then there’s bits like: ‘For the lips of an adulteress drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil.’ Not a text I learnt in Sunday School!

Chapter 30 – ‘the sayings of Agur’ includes:

‘There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman.’

I was out yesterday, chatting…

…Amy’s a young woman in her twenties. She’s young, attractive, sociable… University studies were completed effortlessly. She’s happy in her work… her parents are comfortably off – she has no material needs… she’s starting an exciting new job soon. Amy’s ‘an eagle in the sky’, soaring through life…

…Carl’s a retired fisherman in his seventies. He’s tells stories… encountering dangers at sea… dubious illegal activity… losing and changing jobs… women and relationships… ducking and diving… fighting and surviving. Carl’s been ‘a snake on a rock’, slithering through life…

…Derek’s a retired soldier in his sixties. One daughter has severe health issues, another’s in serious debt; a son’s having marriage problems. He and his wife both have health concerns; there’s been family tragedy and bereavement. Derek’s ‘a ship on the high seas’, sailing through his stormy life…

…Amy’s a young woman in her twenties. She’s young, attractive, sociable… University studies were completed effortlessly. She’s happy in her work… her parents are comfortably off – she has no material needs… she’s starting an exciting new job soon. Amy’s ‘an eagle in the sky’, soaring through life…

…Carl’s a retired fisherman in his seventies. He’s tells stories… encountering dangers at sea… dubious illegal activity… losing and changing jobs… women and relationships… ducking and diving… fighting and surviving. Carl’s been ‘a snake on a rock’, slithering through life…

…Derek’s a retired soldier in his sixties. One daughter has severe health issues, another’s in serious debt; a son’s having marriage problems. He and his wife both have health concerns; there’s been family tragedy and bereavement. Derek’s ‘a ship on the high seas’, sailing through his stormy life…

I returned home. Rachel and I shared our day’s news…

…Rachel and I met as teenagers. Five years later we got married… jobs, homes, children… Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Kent, Suffolk… friends, churches, faith… holidays, activities, memories… grandchildren, retirement, hopes, fears… ‘a man with a young woman’ surviving… satisfied with life.

Musing… Amy, Carl, Derek, Rachel and me… eagles, snakes, ships, men and women… soaring, slithering, sailing, surviving, satisfied… Agur’s pertinent proverbs.