Open My Ears to Wisdom...

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"Wisdom opens your heart to receive wise counsel, but pride closes your ears to advice and gives birth to only quarrels and strife."
Proverbs 13:11 TPT

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This verse is such a great reminder of what we need to be walking in, daily.  In fact, recently the Lord got my attention too, as I was walking in pride.  It's funny how we choose to view our decisions at times, and see them as good, or even have great explanations for them.  

I've also come to realize there are times that the Lord is speaking to me, and I may not even notice.  That makes my heart sad to think I haven't always noticed when God is speaking, but even more sad when I realize that not only do I sometimes not realize it's God speaking to my heart, I argue with Him.  Have you ever had a thought to do or try something and you came back with a really good reason to not do that idea.  Yeah, me too.  

Recently, I had the opportunity to get help doing something.  Something I knew I needed help doing, and had even prayed for.  Someone had asked to bless me with something, and it had always been pictured in my mind that I wanted to pay for that.  The Lord got my attention right there.  He'd been telling me for some time to ask for help with that task and I kept arguing, not realizing I was arguing, but still arguing with Him that I wanted to do that when "this and that" worked better and "this and that" was in order and so on.  Not only was my stubbornness blocking others from getting blessed by blessing me, but I was walking in pride as well.  Pride is self-sufficient.  Pride says I got this, I don't need help.  It also says there is a better way, my way.  Every time I not knowingly argued with my Heavenly Papa about something that would help me, it robbed someone of a potential blessing.

I'm sharing this with you, because like me, we all are faced daily with the opportunity to be blessed, and let others bless.  We want to bless others too, but we need to be able to receive.  That night, as the Lord got my attention, I literally felt Him near me and even though I know He was disciplining me, what I felt  was love.  I could feel His love and kindness.  He's a great Father, and loves so well.  I am in awe of Him, and feel so loved.

So I pray that as you listen to wisdom as you sit at His feet, you will open your heart and receive.  Let pride go and be blessed as your load gets lighter and heaviness and striving leave.  It's worth it. 

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Misty Lea Chladek

Creator/Founder of Community of Christian Creatives

​​​​Watercolor artist, author, community builder, wife, lover of plants and the outdoors, daughter of the King of Kings. 
​She is a community builder on Instagram @communityofchristiancreatives and continues her artwork at @mistyleacreations.  Her book Love Letters of Jesus, which can be found on most online stores and her website, is the story about how God healed her of severe childhood diseases and is a testimony to God's goodness through the struggles.