"The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." - Proverbs 22:3
What warning signs do you notice? I have quite a few. When my weight tips up to a certain point, I change my eating habits. Or at least panic and think a lot about changing my eating habits. I'll be right back...gonna go grab a few m&m's. When I don't get enough face time with my children, thanks to computer and phone screens, I start hearing warning bells. When I lose that sense of connection with my husband, I need to make some room and energy to talk and just be with him.
I need certain kinds of social interaction. Sometimes, even when I've been around people a lot, I'm missing connections with friends, and it is time to seek that out. There is a bell that goes off in my head when I have gone too long without calling my mom.
When the kitchen gets too messy, or there is no food in the house, or too many bills have stacked up, or I can't remember when I last did laundry...these have their own alarm sounds.
Have you developed eyes to see danger in life choices? Sometimes people are unhealthy for you; do you hear the alarm? Sometimes shopping is a bad choice. Are you about to say yes to something you shouldn't? Many of our warning bells develop thanks to mistakes, ahem, I mean, experience.
Discipline helps us establish guardrails. Our pastor has said, in connection with his latest sermons, that while the church must at times serve as an ambulance when someone's life goes over the cliff, it would be nice if we have established guardrails. I hope you bump up against guardrails sometimes. The prudent are thankful for them; the simple just Youtube their car upside down in the bottom of the ravine.
2 comments:
Lately the alarm I'm hearing is that I'm spending too much time with people. I need a day to myself. But yes, there are built-in alarms I don't listen to all day long. :(
I've heard that one, too, Flea. It's hard to be still if we go too much, or always stay in a crowd (even a family crowd).
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