Wink, wink. Wise? Not likely.
I loved it when my kids first learned to wink. My son was so cute when he finally figured out that he could close one eye and keep the other one open. He used to add a little click of the tongue and cock his head sideways because that’s what daddy taught him to do…I think it had something to do with girls swooning for his boyish charm.
Then my daughter Caitlyn came along, and she too has attempted the wink. She either has a great big grin as she nods her head forward and winks with both eyes. It doesn’t matter whether she gets just one or both of her eyes closed, we know exactly what she means to do.
You know, God is like that too. He sees us when we wink, and I mean when we give an adult wink. You know, when we look in the face of certain danger and give it a little wink and a nod…when we make decisions that we know are foolish but just wink at our friends and say, “Oh, everything will be just fine. I’ve gotten out of worse things before.”
I’m talking about the times when there’s really no excuse for our actions. I’m talking about the times when we consciously make a choice that we know is wrong, that we know will probably hurt others around us, but we seem to forget all of that in the face of whatever pleasure, whatever instant gratification our choice will bring us.
There’s a great little proverb that actually speaks to this issue:
He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
Proverbs 10:10 (NIV)
In other words, those who barely even blink at the dangerous consequences of their choices are going to grieve those around them. They are going to hurt the ones who love them most. And what’s even worse are the people who talk about it all time. Those that gossip or brag about their poor choices and the good fortune it’s brought them, will eventually ruin their lives. Unfortunately, “chattering fools” will probably ruin the relationships they have with their family and close friends as well.
So how should you live your life? Pursue wisdom – finding out what you should do AND doing it. Where do you start? Try reading Proverbs. It’s a great book to read devotionally each day. Read the chapter that corresponds to the date. For instance, I read chapter 10 today because it’s September 10th, which is what lead me to write this blog post.
Here’s another rule of thumb to live by. The more people who think you are making the wise choice, the more likely it is that you are. Conversely, the more people who think you are making foolish choices, the more likely it is that you are. So if you’ve got one or two friends who recommending one thing and five or ten who are recommending something else, it’s probably a safe bet that the five or ten are right and the one or two are wrong. This doesn’t work 100% of the time; but I think if you honestly ask yourself which friends are more trustworthy, you’ll get it right.
What else should you do? With every decision you make, as yourself whether or not it is the wise choice. In light of your past experiences, current circumstances and responsibilities, and future hopes and dream, what is the wise thing to do? As I discussed yesterday, God wants to give you wisdom. I’d be willing to bet that if you honestly ask those questions, He’ll reveal to your heart the wise answer and the wise path to take.
