“Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.”
–Proverbs 4: 13
What I especially notice in the above quote are the verbs “take” and “keep”, and the adjective “fast”, all suggesting a forceful, determined approach to the spiritual life. Regrettably, I don’t often take that approach. When it comes to putting into regular practice the truths I study each morning, I am typically more timid than forceful, more wishy-washy than determined. I frequently forget the spiritual principles of my meditations by 8:00 a.m., once I get into the busy routine of the day. The writer of the book of Proverbs would tell me that is a foolish way to live. He would say that if you have been given an enormous treasure to use and protect, you must be forceful and determined in your stewardship. You must keep your eyes on what’s important, watch every step you take, and stay vigilant at all times. Yesterday afternoon I was kicking myself for drifting through an entire school day without giving hardly a single thought to the spiritual facts I had pondered at the start of the day. I don’t intend to have to kick myself today. I plan to “take fast hold” of the great principles of spiritual reality each and every moment, and to “keep” them directly in front of my thoughts. After all, as the author of Proverbs knew, they constitute the veritable heart and soul of my life, and of all life.
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