Wisdom for the Day: Proverbs 14:30

Proverbs 14

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
but envy rots the bones.

The heart is the centre of our being, the centre of everything, the centre of who we are and when that heart is at peace, where there is a calm tranquility about it then we experience a zest for life. The word for peace has a healing meaning to it. Where we have an infection and we leave it untreated, the infection can spread to the rest of our body and we can become very ill. Peace is likened to that medicine and the life it gives is not just a cure, but it enhances life, it adds to life, it gives it a vibrancy that is the opposite of envy which rots our bones.

I was sitting in a peaceful tranquil Garden beside the creed on a nice sunny day reading a psalm and a girl ran past and said ‘I wish I had some of your peace.’ A friendly innocent comment which revealed so much. Imagine being envious of peace. It is a bit ironic when you consider this proverb.

We go to great lengths to find that peace. Some try Yoga which has the effect of bringing calm to our minds and our bodies. It becomes part of the ritual for coping with life and its frantic pace. Some use exercise as a stress buster and that can bring you calm. These things take a deliberate effort.

Our devotional life and our relationship with God takes a conscious deliberate effort and the peace we get from that gives us spiritual life and a healing that brings a vibrancy to our lives.

Envy on the other hand we are told destroys our lives like an infection would rot our body. This is not a passing notion like, I would like a car like that or I wish I had that job. This is a zealous envy but I suppose it has to start somewhere. Diane was doing some weeding last week and got stabbed by a thistle in her thumb. It started throbbing and after a couple of days a green spot appeared. If she had left it the infection would have spread, she stabbed the spot, released the pus and the infection died down.

Peace is that medicine that stops envy taking root because if it is left untreated it can bring untold damage. Infections start very small but they grow if not treated.

So take care of your spiritual health, spend time in Gods word, in prayer and allow it to heal you, protect you and give you an inner zest for life.