Let's be sensible here

Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. 
(Proverbs 17:24 NLT)

Although I like the style of some shoes, I wear "sensible" shoes because I have undergone multiple knee surgeries and value the health of my knees more than the style I display on my feet! Despite the fact I may admire some of today's fanciest cars, I drive a very "sensible" vehicle that gets great gas mileage and has room for more than two of us so we can go places together. I enjoy rich foods, but choose "sensible" foods over the rich ones because they don't end up on my hips quite as quickly! "Sensible" choices are under-appreciated sometimes, but stop for just a moment to consider what "sensible" means and you might just learn to appreciate those choices a little more.

Sensible carries the meaning of someone having sound judgment - there is a basis to the choice they make that isn't just haphazardly chosen, but is consistent with other choices that lend to a solid foundation. The most important part of "sensible" choices is that the one making them is "cognizant" of some matters that lead to those choices - they aren't made without thinking. We find "sensible" choices are often labeled as "wise" or "intelligent" choices. They are the ones people think of as logical or practical. They aren't the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of choices!

I don't know about you, but I do better in an environment that fosters sensible choices and encourages sensible actions. It seems to "fit" best with what I honestly believe God sees as "best" for my life. Those times when I have launched over into the irrational side of "choice camp" have not ended as well for me - how about you? The irrational side of the camp is often missing something we might call "foundational principles" - there is some foundation, but it can be situational and oftentimes changing as fast as the weather!

Our eyes wander, don't they? We just have a hard time with focus. In the doctor's office, while having my eyes examined, they usually tell me to just focus on the green dot in the center of the screen. Do you know how hard that is when all these other moving things on the screen are occurring? They tell me to look straight at their left ear, and then my mind wanders to why their earlobes are formed that way, or how their earring seems to pick up the pattern in their blouse and now I am looking at their blouse!

What might not occur to us is that "sensible choices" are actually much harder than the irrational or "impractical", "irrational", or "unreasonable" choices we find ourselves making from time to time. It is all because one requires focus and the others don't! Sensibility is not easy - it means we remain true to the foundation - we don't compromise the integrity of the foundation just because we get distracted. Sensible choices align with wise principles - so one might think the key to making them is to evaluate the wisdom in the choice. While this may be true, wisdom isn't the thing always the clearest to see - it sometimes requires us to settle down long enough to actually hear the small voice pointing out the wisdom, or lack of it, in the choice we are about to make. Just sayin!

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