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Walking and not stumbling is the theme of Proverbs four. Yesterday, I wrote about making good choices starting with wearing clean underwear. That’s because the rest fall into line when we start with simple choices. Plus, we gain practice.
How do we walk and not stumble?
1. We follow wisdom’s way.
And what is that? Wisdom is, well, wise. Proverbs four says when we walk in wisdom, we walk upright. All of Proverbs is about how we find wisdom in the first place. Wisdom itself is upright, meaning it stands heads and shoulders above other choices. It is noble.
And let’s face it, making good choices is not that difficult. Most of us know the right choice to make; we just choose not to make it.
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Remember when cereal boxes came with prizes inside? They were always at the bottom, and you had to eat the entire box before you got into it. (Unless, of course, you dumped it all out, found the prize, and then poured it all back into the box. Just sayin’)
Likewise, we have to eat our way through Scripture to find wisdom. A few verses in the morning, read quickly and without studying, just isn’t going to cut it. We have to walk slowly through scripture.
Wisdom is always upright, and following it leads to upright choices.
2. Keep looking directly at your goal.
Easier said than done, but that’s exactly what Proverbs 4:25-27 states. It even takes it a step further and states, “Don’t even turn to the left or the right.” In other words, keep your steps straight, putting one foot in front of the other.
Many of you are wondering how does one stay so focused in the first place? And that’s a great question. Obviously, the answer is you have to have wisdom. Well, now we’re just going in circles, it seems.
Walking and not stumbling means finding wisdom first.
As Christians, we daily seek God’s wisdom through the reading of his word, prayer, and the direction of the Holy Spirit. And some things just aren’t clear-cut. In those cases, we walk on paths with what wisdom we have at the moment, ready to change direction when more wisdom is gained.
But most choices are not that subtle.
For me, I know writing and blogging are two of my paths. I plan my time as best I can, always keeping family and friends first. I don’t worry about those times when there are interruptions I can’t avoid, knowing God is behind most of those anyway.
When I do plan a chunk of time to write, I truly do not turn to the left or the right. I am totally focused.
What are the benefits of wisdom?
Our steps will not be impeded.
This doesn’t mean we won’t ever fail. But it does mean that our steps will always lead us toward our final goal.
Our ways will be established.
What does that mean? I think it means that once we gain wisdom and use wisdom to live our lives, our ways will become automatically geared toward doing the right thing. In other words, establishing our ways has a lot to do with our habits and routines.
Establish means to set up. It can be an organization, a system, or a set of rules, on a firm or permanent basis. So, the idea of habits and routines works well here. Once we are in the habit of making good choices, our routines and habits will become good as well.
Fewer decisions/less stress
I don’t know about you, but I’m a firm believer that the fewer decisions we have to make, the less stress we feel. For example, I never have to remind myself to make the bed in the morning. I never decided what I’m going to wear because I pick it out the night before. This may sound a little boring, but it works for me. It works for most people.
(I just got back from Bath and Body Works and am finishing up this post. Talk about decisions. Way too many. And might I add I smell? I mean, it’s good, but you can’t distinguish any one fragrance from another. I didn’t know you were supposed to spray on those little pieces of paper. I know. I’m probably the only person in the world that didn’t know that.)
So wisdom=good choices=good routines=good habits.
So wisdom is more than just gaining knowledge. It is taking that knowledge and making it work in our lives. God never tells us to gain wisdom just to gain wisdom any more than he tells us to do anything just to be doing it. There is always some benefit to us or someone else.
I know a number of parents of older children, and you know what they tell their kids before they leave the house. “Make good choices.” I love that.
So make good choices.
God bless, and have a great day.
