All week the second half of Proverbs 31:25 has raced through my mind, “She laughs at the days to come”. I pictured this woman laughing over and over, some times a belly laugh, sometimes with a smirk. But none of my imaginations of this woman feel like intended implication of the verse except for one. In this one the woman sees the circumstances she finds herself in and takes a deep breath, closes her eyes a little longer than a blink and releases one confident chuckle. It is not out of arrogance or self confidence that she laughs, but of humility that comes from having learned, likely slowly, that her life is not in her hands. There is a ting of pain in her laugh that only comes after experiencing the sovereignty of God in an agonizing situation. She knows the outcome of her current circumstances does not depend on herself because she serves a God who’s plan out perfects hers, who’s purpose for her life is deeper than she can imagine, and who’s love covers her flaws and missteps along the way. She laughs because she knows the end of the story is one of victory and for her part all she has to do is rest. Resting is not an easy task. For this woman it may be the most difficult order she has ever been given. If you read the rest of this passage you might get the impression that she is a self made woman and her abilities and accomplishments are far beyond what you or I could dream of. But then down in verse 30 we see the true key to who this woman has become. It simply says she is a woman who fears the Lord. I want to fear the Lord like this! I want to know him so well that every moment of every day is ordained by Him, that every fear and worry and anxious thought gets swallowed up in the confidence of who He is! I want to rest… Yet, I find myself again, and again, and again: failing, forgetting, worrying, controlling, stressing. At some point in this cycle, when I slow down to try and catch my breath I begin to hear that steady, consistent, confident voice of the Savior calling my name and reminding me that He will carry the burden for me and that He is trustworthy and able. I am reminded of who He is, what he has done, what He is doing, and what he has promised. It is then and only then I remember to let go of my grip, humbly laugh and again begin to rest.