Proverbs Daily Devotional: Day 19

“A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.”

Proverbs 19:3

I went to high school with a young man who was a year older than me, and I remember trying to share my faith with him. I’ll never forget his response: “What did God ever do for me other than put my lame carcass on this earth and leave me here to rot?” He spoke those words at a time when he was dealing with some legal issues due to poor choices. Granted, he came from a difficult background. His life was not an easy one. I’m reminded of a quote from Kerry Washington’s character in the series “Little Fires Everywhere,” when she and Reese Witherspoon are facing off over some serious issues. Reese Witherspoon’s character is defending her own actions, and belittling Washington’s, and she declares something along the lines of “I am where I am because I made good choices!” to which Washington responds bitterly, “You didn’t MAKE good choices; you HAD good choices!” Those words gave me pause. Whose fault is it when life goes south? Who claims credit when things go well? The Proverbs tell us that a person’s own folly ruins their life. I am aware that some start out of the gate with an advantage. Yes. Others start out way behind, and that is not their fault. No one can control where they start, but we can all have a say in where we go from here. At some point, we do have to make decisions for ourselves and do the best we can with what we’ve got. We do need to own our folly, and decide whether to continue along that path or to choose differently. The Proverbs admonish us to choose differently. To choose to live wisely. To follow the paths of righteousness. To fear the LORD. Which path will you follow today?

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