Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. – Proverbs 10:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 22, 2025): Proverbs 10

It is hard to hide who we really are. Lately, I have lamented some of my early decisions and actions. If I knew then what I know now, I would do many things differently. If it were possible, I would sit down with several people from my past and offer a heartfelt apology. I wish I could tell them how much I really care for them, even when I was too young and immature to let them know. These are some of the people who bore the brunt of the "who I really was" in that moment.

Often, only those closest to us get to see the "who we really are" moments. In my honest moments, I know that there is still an immature teen, deep inside of me, who is struggling to be who I think God has created me to be. God is still at work forming me. Oh, I hope the illusion holds most of the time, and I trust that, over the intervening years, God has worked in me to mold me into who he needs me to be. But I know there are still moments of struggle inside of me.

In our honest moments, I think most of us feel that way. Ultimately, these differences are impossible to mask. All of which is a danger for those of us who choose to live our lives under public scrutiny, which includes all of us who have been called to be spiritual leaders. Over the past couple of decades, several spiritual leaders have crashed and burned because they couldn't keep up the illusion of "who they really were." It is also what we need to listen closely to in our political leaders. Policies and programs, the actions of our political leaders, will tell us who these people really are, and we need to pay attention to those hidden voices.

Solomon tells his audience that blessings will come to the righteous while violence will overwhelm the wicked. The traditional understanding of this passage is that it refers back to what we might call the old or Mosaic understanding of the Law. Moses instructs Israel to act out these blessings and curses when they entered into the Promised Land.

When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali (Deuteronomy 27:12-13).

But just because we do not live in the era of the blessings and curses of the Mosaic Law doesn't mean that we can lose sight of the blessings and curses pronounced here. I am convinced that the "who we really are" core of our being continues to live under these blessings. Except that, we are the ones who pronounce the blessings and curses. If God is truly remaking us in the image of Christ, the world around us will be blessed by our presence. But if we are far from the dictates of God, violence will be part of everything we do. Violence will pour out of our language and actions as we journey through this life. These are things we will not be able to hide, no matter how much we might want to. Violence will overwhelm our mouths, just as Proverbs has said that it would.

And peace on earth? Well, that only emerges from those who are living in the blessings of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 11