Wednesday's Child Is Full Of Woe

WOE

/wō/

Noun

Great sorrow or distress.  Things that cause distress or sorrow; troubles

Synonyms

grief - sorrow - misfortune - affliction - distress

I don't care much for this word.  And when I see it in the Bible, it scares me.  Because I have felt it.  And quite honestly, woe can go jump in a lake.  But what I noticed in reading is that the "woe unto you's" are followed by what we should not do, because if you do, then woe unto you!!   How many times have I not headed the warnings in my life?  Gone around the barricades God set up to keep me safe, thrown caution to the wind, only to wind up face down on the ground saying "whoa...that hurt".   Deuteronomy 8 tells us what the Israelites will receive if they obey God.  But WOE if they don't.  If they forget Him after all He has brought them through and they worship other gods again....He will destroy them.  Whoa.  When I first read that last September, I had to pause.  Seriously.  God is saying "Look here stubborn kids (ok maybe He only called me stubborn)....we have walked this mountain waaayyyy too long.  You are finally about to move out and enter in....to My promises, to what I have wanted for you all along....but don't go back to the way you did stuff before!!  Stop doing that!! (maybe just for me again there too...) cause this time, you know.....and woe won't even cover it.  You Will Be Destroyed."  Oh my....whoa.   So maybe this extra time in my desert was to make sure I get it....REALLY get it.  No more time outs.  Too much work to be done and now you know baby girl, you are responsible for that knowledge.  Yeah....so as I let all that sink in, I'm not so scared of the woes anymore.  They are my stop signs.  Turn it around, this is NOT the way to go.  And in our obedience to Him I see many WHOA'S!! up ahead :)  It's Wednesday, we are making it over that hump.