Two Women

I've been reading Proverbs lately, and the other day, a thought struck me

When I was a kid reading the passages, I could never understand the choice between the two women that appear throughout the book. I mean, you have the woman Wisdom, who cries out from the towers that all who come to her will gain long life and riches. She seems so obvious, so matronly, so masterful. Why would anyone not choose to follow her?

Then you have the other woman, Folly. her way leads to death. She comes to you and asks you to follow her back to her home, where her bed is made and spiced, while her husband is away. You would think she seems someone to avoid as a matter of course.

But now, as an adult, I know better. Wisdom seems intimidating. Her maturity seems unattainable, her purity untouchable. She makes you wait, she demands that you control yourself, she demands that you be better. She asks you to be honest, both with her and yourself. She'll try to keep you from getting ahead of yourself, and keep you grounded.

Folly, she calls late at night and says she misses you, she leans in close in the car and breathing in your ear, telling you she's had such a great time. She doesn't wear her wedding band around you, won't mention her husband until you're already thinking about her more often than you should. She'll tell you how sweet you are, how happy you make her. She'll know just when you're loneliest, and that's when she'll be there.

But Folly will leave you, lost, and even more alone than before. You'll follow her for a night, but by morning you'll be broken, and empty. You'll feel nothing but shame and regret. Hardness will become your constant companion, despair your close ally. You'll be left feeling dirty, and worthless, wondering why anyone should befriend you at all. You'll look in the mirror and see someone not even worthy of pity, only rebuke.

And Wisdom? She may seem distant, she may not give you the immediate gratification your flesh desires, but you know, you trust, that she will give the the life worth living. She will spur you on to bigger, and better things. She'll lead you down the paths of ridicule, but at the end all will praise you for your integrity. She may not be ready to take to you in the middle of the night, but she'll be there in the morning