One month ago today...

One month ago today, we experienced on of the 5 largest earthquakes in the history of earthquake recordings. As I read Proverbs 27 (ESV), this morning I was struck by many of the sayings that are evident in our life here in Chile.

Verse one says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
That has held true for many here in Chile following the earthquake! How interesting that it comes in chapter 27 and the earthquake fell on the 27th of the month. (For those of you Bible scholars - Yes, I know that when God wrote the Bible, there were no chapters or verses!)

Verse 6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend;" I have been so blessed to have my close friend, convict me of my need to continually rely on Christ and not on this earth that only shakes below us, like sinking sand. This friend I mention is in the US, and we talk on a regular basis. However, God has brought a new family with another mission to Chile, and she has been a real encouragement to me and I hope I to her.

Verse 10 "Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend." The friend that I mentioned in the US, has AMAZING parents. They actually went to WalMart and purchased various things that we needed. This verse is a reminder that my "friends" may not always be within the direct circle I think they are.

Verse 10b "Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away." Although I miss my siblings, they couldn't have helped me during the earthquake. My neighbors have been such a blessing, even though none of them have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We hope to be the kind of neighbors to them that are "better...near, than a brother"/relative.

Verse 14 "Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning will be counted as cursing." Living so close to our neighbors this is something we are teaching our children. Living in a city of almost 7 million, certainly changes one's perspective.

Verse 17 "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." This verse reminds me to continually seek out Christian friendships to encourage me and so that I can encourage others.

None of these applications are necessarily biblical, but they are things that struck me this morning and I just thought I would share and hopefully "sharpen" some of you!
God bless!
Heather