Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I received my first Bible at the age of 9.  It was inscribed by my church's pastor, who also happened to be my father.  The inside cover reads "Presented to Eric Asp, by First Baptist Sunday School, Pastor Dave Asp, on November 2, 1986 - Pro. 3:5,6."  Of course, one of the first things I did with my new Bible was to look up Proverbs 3:5-6 -- to see what the significance of that inscribed reference might be.  And ever since that moment, those words have become something of a mandate on my life (some might call it a "life verse"), a reference point to which I've continually returned throughout the years, in times of transition and testing, in times of learning and growing.  No matter what else I've learned, I always seem to come back to the truth that Proverbs 3:5-6 is what it's really all about:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (or any other person's understanding either, for that matter); in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and HE will make your paths straight (that is, HE will direct your paths)."

These are also the two verses which serve as the foundation for this Proverbs 365 project:  365 days based on the promises of Proverbs 3 verses 6 and 5 that deliberately depending on God's wisdom instead of my own wisdom will result in meaningful life direction.

Suffice to say:  Proverbs 3:5-6 are a very significant couple of verses, to me.

It wasn't just an initial impression at the age of 9, or a random decision to focus on studying the Proverbs in 2010, either.  I've come back to this truth time after time throughout my life.  When I went away to college and had my first experience of living away from my parents, taking ownership of my faith -- Proverbs 3:5-6 guided me to a deeper study of the Bible and a fuller understanding of Christian community.  When I got married and blended my life with Marci's -- Proverbs 3:5-6 helped me to remember that God still needed to be my first priority, even more than my wife, and this truth helped to keep us centered and strong.  When Marci and I started having children -- Proverbs 3:5-6 reminded me that my complete lack of understanding and experience when it came to the whole "parenting thing" didn't matter; I could be a good father through simply trusting in the Lord with all my heart and acknowledging Him in all my ways.  When our family moved to Amsterdam and started all over again with building our household on a different continent -- Proverbs 3:5-6 comforted me and consoled me in my loneliness; its words gave me courage that I could find a way in life, even though I was a complete foreigner.  When I became a pastor for the young church in Amsterdam, under less-than-ideal circumstances -- Proverbs 3:5-6 reassured me that God could use me in spite of my lack of qualifications; that my only real prerequisite in life and ministry was to trust in the Lord with all my heart... I feel like I could go on and on and on... In all of these experiences, I have very vivid, very specific memories of reading or remembering these two verses which have become my life mandate.  Truly, Proverbs 3:5-6 have helped to keep me centered and dependent on God.

I only hope and pray that I can remain centered on these truths for the rest of my days:  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.