Look before you . .step? Meditation for 2/14/2014

Cole's Island Creek; SC

“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who endowed us with sense, reason and intellect intends for us to forego their use.”  - Galileo Galilei

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  - Benjamin Franklin

     Logic and reason all too easily become rationalization and justification.  I can use my own sound judgment to talk myself into or out of just about anything.  I can also selfishly want something so badly that I disguise its acquisition behind the appearance of a good deed or by manipulating conditions to make it appear as though it were a necessity.   I can make up valid reasons to avoid seeking the counsel of others knowing full well that they will advise me against it.  Sometimes I just do not want to admit that I do not know what I do not know.  But this all adds up to situations where I have created such a mess that I despair.  Rather than ask if it is a good idea to jump off the cliff, I first jump and then either holler for rescue on the way down or allow my pride to keep me silent and thus suffer every possible bruise and broken bone the landing has to offer.  Afterwards, I find myself stuck in the mud, saying things like: “I had a feeling that wasn’t a good idea” or “There is no way I could have known” or more often “What imbecile put that dang cliff in my way?”

     Seeking guidance is much more effective if done prior to jumping off a cliff.  Sometimes I forget to do this - usually when I desire something so strongly that I act before I think.  Other times I am afraid of the answer I will get if I ask, so I go ahead with my own plan anyway.  And of course when things overall are going pretty good I start feeling invincible and convince myself that I needn’t bother God or others.  When it becomes clear that the resulting calamity is not only un-avoidable but overwhelming in its scope it suddenly occurs to me that seeking direction and intervention might be a good idea. 

     Perhaps after a few failures (preferably of the non-fatal variety) we remember to consult maps and ask for directions rather than traveling at break-neck speed through un-known terrain.  Once we are stuck in the mud an ounce of prevention is worth a lot more than a pound of cure - because often there is not a pound of anything that can undo the damage our decision has caused.

Today, may I pause BEFORE I get myself agitated.  D.Emch    

Have a great Friday !!

David