A Constant Dripping

I am sitting on our porch, attempting to get some work done. I thought this would be a perfect spot to sit, because it has been raining all night, and I enjoy grey mornings when everything is still wet and dreamlike, and the quiet stillness feels peaceful.

However, there is this dripping. It won’t stop. I tried to ignore it, but it only seems to grate at my nerves the longer it lasts, and it is so consistent. I guess some rainwater is dripping from the gutter or the corner of the house, but it is amazing how such a seemingly small thing can affect my ability to focus as well as my attitude.

I’m reminded of this verse that I read two days ago:

Proverbs 27:15 – A constant dripping on a day of steady rain and a contentious woman are alike; he who would restrain her restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand.

I have read this verse often, but I love how the word pictures that are painted by the writer of Proverbs stay with me. It is so much more vivid of a reminder when I experience it.

Below are some of the other mentions of “contentious” in Proverbs:

Proverbs 21:9
- It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman.


Proverbs 21:19
- It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and vexing woman.


Proverbs 25:24
- It is better to live in a corner of the roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman.


Proverbs 26:21
- Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.


Proverbs 27:15 -
A constant dripping on a day of steady rain and a contentious woman are alike;


So, what does contentious mean?

Here are some of the definitions I have found:

Marked by heated arguments or controversy

Given to struggling with others out of jealousy or discord

Exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes

Synonyms: assailing, attacking, combative, destructive, disruptive, offensive, quarrelsome

I would say this is a pretty serious word. It doesn’t just mean “annoying” or “nagging” or “difficult.” It means thriving on causing disruption and probably also a fixation with being right all the time. However, I don’t think it just means that you outright start fights. I think “contention” starts in the heart, and the outward result is a lack of peace – maybe not constant fighting, but just uneasiness and discord. As women, we know how to cause uneasiness. If Chip (or one of my friends!) does something I don’t like, I can make him/them just as uncomfortable with my silence and a cold shoulder as I could with a biting tongue. This is not someone I want to be. May we all be seekers of peace and unity among each other – let’s not add hot embers to the fires of strife that can so easily appear.