Earthshaking Brides

(Proverbs 30:23 KJV)  For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

This is not a theme for a romance novel.  This is not Cinderella, slaving away for the ugly step-sisters and finally getting discovered by Prince Charming.  This is the ugly step-sister who has forced her foot into the slipper and obligated the Prince to marry her.  As the KJV says, she is “odious” (8130).  As the context says, she shakes up her world.  She also ruins the life of the Prince and his entire family.

One lesson is for us to be aware that all are not innocent victims.  Some are obnoxious manipulators.  Some people are sitting in the corner by themselves because they are so unpleasant to be around.  God loves them.  Jesus died for them.  They are still “odious”.

Another lesson is that we had better not be that anti-social person.  We are not allowed to be nasty to people.  We can’t manipulate and destroy and have a part of the Kingdom of God.

So?  Walk in love.  Practice love.  That means patience, kindness, forgetting wrongs and all those other things that the world mocks.  Walk in grace.