Proverbs 9:11

"It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, 

and the years of your life ripen." 

Proverbs 9:11 (The Message)

What does that mean - "the years of your life ripen"? When I look up the word "ripen" in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions says this:

ripen = to bring to completion or perfection

another one says this:

ripen = to age or cure (cheese) to develop characteristic flavor, 

odor, body, texture, and color 

So, through wisdom, your life is brought to completion. It's brought to perfection. It develops characteristic flavor. I like that one: "characteristic flavor".  It's got a certain ring to it that just makes me think "awesome!" 

Who among us doesn't want their life to be brought to completion? I don't care what religion someone claims to be or not to be - we all want our life to feel complete. But, I just simply cannot imagine feeling like my life was complete without Jesus. The times where I've run from him, my life has felt so empty. When I have a closer, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, my life truly feels complete. When I'm reading the Word of God, my life feels as perfect as it can possibly be here on Earth. And when I'm living out what I'm learning from the Word, my life begins to develop characteristic flavor like I've never known. (Maybe that's because when I am in a relationship with Him, I want to serve Him by serving others and when I do that, I feel like my life has a purpose.)