Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:10-11.

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. Psalm 32:10.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7.

The sayings in our chapter, Proverbs 10, are a compilation of couplets, of two sentences that work together. Reading them, I realized that for those who seek to understand Creator God…Father, Son, Spirit…they will be life and hope if we read them to internalize them. If we use them against others or to look down on ourselves and others, we lose something essential in God’s love for all of us. For people not yet seeking God, they won’t read these anyway – not yet. I have been struggling of late with fear. God helped me see that I have been afraid all of my life. Fear of failure, fear of condemnation which leads me to condemn myself and others, fear of not being enough. Aging has a lot to do with the helplessness I am beginning to experience. My memory is no longer my faithful friend and my body reminds me I’m not 20. I had to think back to realize how many times I have been afraid of failure and its companion condemnation. And what did God tell me? You condemn yourself and others. That is not My way. I don’t condemn you or others. I help. I heal. I love. Accept My love and the healing I bring. Trust the healing My love brings. The world condemns. I heal in love for Good. I can’t turn off what has been a part of me for my whole life but I can know that God has been there with me through every single part of it and He is with me now showing me how to understand better His love and purpose. My body and mind needed to slow and will whether I acknowledge that need or not; the way of aging. And now my heart cries out for my Comforter and Helper. He is here always helping me understand what cannot be grasped without Him.

There are 32 couplets in this chapter and read them knowing God does not give wisdom to condemn ourselves or others but to help us see the better way of living that helps us thrive in His goodness. There are two verses that show us something beautiful and worth believing in…The prospect of the righteous is joy…The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless…v. 28, 29. Understanding that God doesn’t condemn us, that He condemns sin, helps us cling to the truth that The way of the Lord is a refuge…for all of us. Because none of us is blameless…yes we all sin, yes we all fall short, yes we all fail and condemn ourselves and others. And yes…we are loved by God who does not condemn us as others condemn us or as we condemn ourselves. We are loved by God and He will heal our broken parts in need of the healing only Creator God can bring. That is the joy that we can live into now. We are loved. God who loves us will help us experience His love. It’s personal. You and God. God with us. We are messy as every couplet shows. And yes…we are loved and His love is what heals us for our good and for joy!