Today, I am talking to myself in a big way as I am thinking about this.  The message is simple today, and that is just to live in wisdom.  Why is that so hard?  Said another way, why do I know what to do and so often choose not to do it?  I would say that there are plenty of things that I have very little or no knowledge about when it comes to making a decision in my life, but far more often, a great majority of the time, I have a pretty good sense as to what I should do.  Far more times than not, it isn’t ‘what’, but ‘why’ that is my issues.

It usually isn’t that I make a bad decision because I don’t know what to do...it is just that I don’t want to do it.  I don’t think I am unique in this struggle; I think this is a a common issue for all of us.  In fact, ironically, this was THE issue for the writer of many of these Proverbs - Solomon.  This is one of the great ironies of all of this wisdom.

Two big ideas jumped into my mind this morning.

First is something that probably jumped into mind because I have been talking about it recently, and that is the utility of prayer - and it is really woven into the first 12 verses of the reading this morning; look at all of the trust language in there.  And it’s not just the little quick prayers throughout the day, but the really solid prayers in the morning when I am doing this - when I am studying and reflecting.  These are the way I can make God tangible in my life, and I can bring God along with me in my daily living.  These little mini prayers throughout the day are great little reminders of my morning prayer and are a great way to encourage the application of wisdom thorough the day.  A lot of times, just this little pause for a mini prayer is enough to get me to make the decision I ought to make rather than the decision I ‘want’ to make in the moment.  Today’s reading is just laced with this reminder to cling to truth in this way...to bind God’s teaching around my neck, to lean on him in all my ways, honor the Lord with the first fruits of my labor, do not lose sight of these, etc.  This idea is all over the book of Proverbs.

The second thing that jumps out at me and I can’t help but think about as I am reading this is one word; margin.  My days are packed with way too many things to do, and way too many decisions to make, and way too little time to just ‘go with the flow’.  I am a person that thrives when I am busy, to an extent.  The problem is, there must be an ebb and flow...it can’t just be 90 miles an hour all of the time.  I must create space and time to pause, pray, reflect, and think,  I need more time to be bored.  For me, life trends towards complexity, and the scriptures and God would lead me to a place where I would be simplifying my life so I can have the space and the time to interact with God in a meaningful way.  That is really where I can grow personally.  I can get rid of some things on my to do list and my schedule.  I can create margin for God, among other people and things.

So, that is my action for today...right now, I am going to open up my to do app and take a hatchet to it...I am going to get myself into a place where I can enjoy the rest of the day; where I can have the space and the time to experience God in various ways because I am not too busy to relax.  I guess that’s why God teaches us to take a Sabbath each week anyways...imagine that!