Prudence isn’t a word that we hear much these days, but it’s a wonderful word. The prudent person not only discerns the right thing to do, but does it. They make good plans and anticipate the problems that might occur. Our society is very safety-conscious, and that is obviously a good thing, although it can easily be taken to extremes. There was a well-publicised story of a headteacher who insisted that children playing conkers should wear goggles, and suggested that candy floss on sticks should be banned for fear of people tripping up and impaling themselves! Happily, the health and safety executive disagreed with both approaches. What we need is to live and make our plans carefully and sensibly.

Jesus addressed the importance of planning when he talked about the person who proposed to build a tower. He pointed out that it was important to estimate the cost of completing the job before the work began. He said: “Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you” (Luke 14:29). The careful work of preparation is demanding, but it needs to be done and done well.

The simpleton, on the other hand, has a completely different approach. They can’t be bothered with the faff of coming up with plans and checking the regulations. They aren’t willing to spend time doing complicated sums. They just want to see the job done, so they blindly rush ahead until, whoops, their plans run into a brick wall. We’ve all seen it happen, and let’s be clear: Christians, like everyone else, can act with great foolishness at times. There can be such an eagerness to see a project happen that the thoughtful planning stages are rushed or totally overlooked.

The world would be a much better place if we all worked hard at being prudent!

Who is the most prudent person that you know, and what have you learned from them?

Loving God, help me to act prudently today. Amen