Day 274 – October, Week 40 – Virtuous, who me?
Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
In today’s scripture focus, the writer of this proverb tells us that the virtuous think before they act. I’ve wondered about this – what do the virtuous think about? To think of myself as “virtuous” seems like too big a hill to climb, but today, I want to encourage us to start climbing. I understand the word is daunting, but if we’re going to live life God’s way – we need to increase our virtuosity!
“I haven’t looked myself in the eye in a long, long time. Last night, in a desperate attempt to try to remember who I was, I took a peak in a mirror – and I don’t know who the person is that was staring back!” Have you ever felt like this? In an effort to find a satisfying life, this person went looking in all the wrong places. In fact, they did what was normal. They studied life, noticed what felt good, what seemed to work for others, thought about the risks and rewards – and then they set out to acquire what they thought would “work” for them. Everyone does this. Along the way, some people make choices that their family, friends and society find acceptable – and others do not. People also self-correct along the way. Maybe they pick a career, and make a mid-course correction. No big deal. Changing spouses is a bit tougher, but people do that too. Others enter into a life of darkness. They didn’t intend to lose themselves along the way – they were just going to have a bit of fun. What’s the harm? Isn’t that…normal?
My friend lost herself while choosing-her-own-adventure. She can’t remember why she did what she did, or what she was thinking as she did it. In the language of the writer of proverbs, this could be called – bluffing our way through.
The virtuous don’t bluff. They think before they act. I used to think a virtuous person never did anything wrong. They didn’t cuss or cheat at cards. They always let someone turn in front of them at a four way stop sign. They regularly passed the last dessert to the person behind them in line. This proverb has me thinking.
Maybe virtue has more to do with what we think about than the particulars of how we live. (The virtuous have a lot to think about. The wicked only have one road sign to follow: the path that promises them their own way all the time. Virtue might be more about using our whole brain, rather than letting our mid-brain call the shots.) Virtue may be the ability to choose to do the next right thing, even if it means sacrificing personal comfort or satisfaction along the way. Virtue may be making decisions that are driven by a commitment to living life God’s way.
Virtuous people can’t live extemporaneously. The virtuous can’t do what comes naturally. Tough questions like – what does God’s way look like? – must be asked. To live virtuously will require backbone. It will involve digging deep and pulling out a large dose of courage and self-control.
But I bet we could look in a mirror, and be reasonably happy with who stares back. That’s worth a lot!
Recommended reading: Isaiah 63 and 64 in the morning; Isaiah 65 and Philippians 3 in the evening
Copyright 2008 NorthStar Community
No comments:
Post a Comment