A Garland to Grace your Head

When my daughter was little, she loved to play dress up. Truthfully, I don't know many little girls who don't! She would put on fancy dresses, shoes, silk gloves, and pretty necklaces and tiaras. She would want her hair done up like a princess and I was happy to help. She looked so pretty when she was done and the smile on her face as she twirled around in her outfits is something I hope I never forget.

Some of that little girl still lives in all of us ladies. I know I still love to get dressed up in something beautiful, have a great hair do, and wear beautiful necklaces. And I think there is a time and a place for those things. But the Bible tells us there is something else, something better than any jewelry that we should be adorning ourselves with.

 Proverbs 1 verse 9 is the second time the word "grace" appears in the Old Testament (NIV version). The verse says, "They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." In order to understand what this verse is talking about, we need to look at it along with verse 8. Together they say, "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."

Solomon is telling us that the wisdom and instruction of our parents are like fine jewelry that will make us look beautiful if we heed that instruction. Some of you may be thinking, "My parents were far from wise," and that may be true. But God didn't just give us our parents to rely on. We have His Word as well, which truthfully, is far better than anything else we could look to for wisdom and instruction on how to live life and guide our own children.

Grace in this verse, is used a little differently than in Psalm 45:2 which we looked at last week. But I think the concept is still the same. God will give us everything we need if we seek Him. That includes wisdom and knowledge like we could never imagine. We can't earn godly wisdom by doing good deeds or being a "morally good" person. It has to come from the Creator. He is the bestower of the garland of wisdom. He is the Father who secures the necklace of knowledge around our necks. He loves you and me and He wants these things for all of us and He has made it easy to get them. We just have to ask Him.