Scripture for Today: Proverbs 31:25 “She is clothed with strength and dignity: she can laugh at the days to come.”

I am no stranger to all kinds of sea gulls in our area of the California coast. But I have never seen or heard this guy! That’s because the Laughing Gull makes its home on the Atlantic Coast. His dark black hood, red bill and legs and his white eye arcs give him a recognizable look. But what is most distinctive is his hysterical raucous call resembling laughter! It begins with a stuttering ha-ha-ha-ha and follows with a longer more drawn-out hash-hash-hash! He laughs when excited by courtship or defending his territory.

There is laughter in today’s verse. It is part of the description of a woman whose qualities raise what seems to be an impossible standard for others! This picture of the perfect wife and mother was given by the Queen Mother to her son, King Lemuel. The passage describes a woman of “noble character” fit for royalty (verse 10). After an extensive list of characteristics the conclusion is that charm and beauty are less important than fearing the Lord (verse 30). Fearing the Lord makes it possible to “laugh at the days to come.” There is a light heart even when facing the unknown future.

Of all the qualities listed for this perfect woman, this ability to laugh at the days to come has got to be the most difficult! It is a litmus test of my faith in God and His plan for me. To laugh at the days to come does not mean I do not prepare for them. But it does mean that I can trust Him for the unexpected! I can trust Him for what is around that blind curve. Whatever He allows to happen, He will carry me through it. Instead of fear and anxiety, He makes possible a light heart. Whatever the challenge of the days to come, He is enough.

Thank you Lord, for the confidence I can have in You!