Heartbreaking Hindsight
Proverbs 7:21-23 (NIV)
With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping into a noose
till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.
Proverbs 26:11 (NIV)
As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
Reflection
Comedian Nate Bargatze had it just about right when he said: “I had 80s and 90s Christian parents — well, that's the most Christian you can ever get of the Christian. I think Jesus had more fun than I did. I wasn’t allowed to watch anything. I mean, when they made ‘The Simpsons’ it was like, I guess they're just showing R-rated TV shows now.”
With all of its pros and cons — and there were many pros — this is similar to how I grew up. We wore our Sunday best to churches full of good, well-intentioned people practicing a form of pious Christianity with societal standards hard for many outsiders to maintain. As I grew older and started to read and research the Bible on my own, I was shocked about how gritty and raw the actual contents of the Bible were compared to the whitewashed, Sunday-school flannelgraph impression I had grown up with — especially the Old Testament, which was far more graphic than The Simpsons. The unsettling reference to a dog following impulses described in Proverbs 26:11 offers stark contrast to my youthful understanding of the Bible.
While being very different in many ways, both the Christian culture of my youth and these verses in Proverbs (along with many others) have served as sound guides in helping me to make good life decisions, based on scripture- and culture-based boundaries. Growing up, it was very clear to me where good clean fun ended, and bad life-altering decisions began. I knew better; and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Too often, though, fleeting feelings, urges, and impulses trump “knowing better.” They lead people to make decisions clearly to the detriment of themselves and others around them, sometimes for generations. Clarity only comes once the devastating consequences of these bad decisions become apparent, when their heartbreaking hindsight is realized. It is even more heartbreaking when this clarity of hindsight disappears and the cycle of bad decisions continues with the next fleeting feeling, urge, or impulse. With some smooth talk and persuasive words, the fool’s folly plays out again. One bad decision can cost dearly in this lifetime, but fools repeating their folly stand to lose eternity.
Action Steps
We all make many decisions each day. Some of those decisions have significant positive or negative consequences. Prepare for those decisions ahead of time by building and immersing yourself in a culture focused on loving the Lord, studying scripture, and living life in a way that allows you to be in tune with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Go to church. Pray often. Surround yourself with fellow Christians. That way, when those decisions arise, you will “know better.” Assess the situation, seek Christian council, and choose eternal wisdom over fleeting whims and feelings.
Prayer
Lord, give me a heart in love with You, and give Your wisdom to help me navigate the daily decisions of life in a way pleasing to You. Help guide my decisions to lead me on the path through life that You lovingly designed specifically for me. Give me the discernment to learn from my past failures and grow in my understanding of Your holy ways, Lord. Amen.
With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping into a noose
till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.
Proverbs 26:11 (NIV)
As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
Reflection
Comedian Nate Bargatze had it just about right when he said: “I had 80s and 90s Christian parents — well, that's the most Christian you can ever get of the Christian. I think Jesus had more fun than I did. I wasn’t allowed to watch anything. I mean, when they made ‘The Simpsons’ it was like, I guess they're just showing R-rated TV shows now.”
With all of its pros and cons — and there were many pros — this is similar to how I grew up. We wore our Sunday best to churches full of good, well-intentioned people practicing a form of pious Christianity with societal standards hard for many outsiders to maintain. As I grew older and started to read and research the Bible on my own, I was shocked about how gritty and raw the actual contents of the Bible were compared to the whitewashed, Sunday-school flannelgraph impression I had grown up with — especially the Old Testament, which was far more graphic than The Simpsons. The unsettling reference to a dog following impulses described in Proverbs 26:11 offers stark contrast to my youthful understanding of the Bible.
While being very different in many ways, both the Christian culture of my youth and these verses in Proverbs (along with many others) have served as sound guides in helping me to make good life decisions, based on scripture- and culture-based boundaries. Growing up, it was very clear to me where good clean fun ended, and bad life-altering decisions began. I knew better; and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Too often, though, fleeting feelings, urges, and impulses trump “knowing better.” They lead people to make decisions clearly to the detriment of themselves and others around them, sometimes for generations. Clarity only comes once the devastating consequences of these bad decisions become apparent, when their heartbreaking hindsight is realized. It is even more heartbreaking when this clarity of hindsight disappears and the cycle of bad decisions continues with the next fleeting feeling, urge, or impulse. With some smooth talk and persuasive words, the fool’s folly plays out again. One bad decision can cost dearly in this lifetime, but fools repeating their folly stand to lose eternity.
Action Steps
We all make many decisions each day. Some of those decisions have significant positive or negative consequences. Prepare for those decisions ahead of time by building and immersing yourself in a culture focused on loving the Lord, studying scripture, and living life in a way that allows you to be in tune with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Go to church. Pray often. Surround yourself with fellow Christians. That way, when those decisions arise, you will “know better.” Assess the situation, seek Christian council, and choose eternal wisdom over fleeting whims and feelings.
Prayer
Lord, give me a heart in love with You, and give Your wisdom to help me navigate the daily decisions of life in a way pleasing to You. Help guide my decisions to lead me on the path through life that You lovingly designed specifically for me. Give me the discernment to learn from my past failures and grow in my understanding of Your holy ways, Lord. Amen.
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