Prudence

This morning while alone and in a quiet/thoughtful mode, I challenged myself to revisit two opposing concepts: wisdom and folly.  In my pondering, I ran across another one: prudence.

According to various passages in Proverbs, one who is prudent is disciplined, mature, experienced, and shows good judgment and good sense.  Such a person overlooks insult, stores up knowledge and acts out of it, is thoughtful and wise rather than impulsive.  In the verse below (quoted from two versions), a prudent person sees trouble coming and avoids it, thus side-stepping unpleasant consequences.

“A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” (KJV)

“A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” (NIV)

Proverbs 22:3 (also 27:12)

I know from experience how easy it is to form habits (both in thought and deed) that lead to cyclical stumbling and dead-ends.  Such habit patterns are like treading water: they require lots of energy but go nowhere.  Most of us easily defend such behaviors: “It’s the way I am – I can’t help it.”  Or perhaps, “Circumstances are driving me crazy.  It’s not my fault.” And yet the prudent person thinks beyond what seems most obvious and natural, and with God’s help escapes the folly of repetitive error. 

Redemption, again.  Everywhere I look are evidences of His redeeming love, perhaps especially when I recognize it functioning in light of imprisonment to my own limitations. Although I long to be prudent, I so often fail…and yet, I praise God for His ongoing faithfulness to me.  He is mercifully, if gradually, transforming and changing me in ways I previously thought impossible.