Too hot to handle

When I shop, I am kind of a 'wanderer' - I go with a certain thing in mind, but I wander a bit to see what I may find that is a 'bargain' that I didn't count on finding. The moment I find that 'bargain', I am glad I wandered a bit, but not all my wandering is that successful! Sometimes I find the wandering doesn't produce much more than a few extra steps. It is possible to find 'good' within our wandering, but it certainly isn't the best mode of operation when it comes to our Christian walk!

You have done many good things for me, Lord, just as you promised. I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge. I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. (Psalm 119:65-67)

A walk of integrity requires a commitment to stay the course. In other words, there isn't a whole lot of 'wandering' to see what one may find. God has frequently had to show me where my 'wandering' wasn't really producing the best results. In fact, the wandering was kind of producing outcomes that weren't all that edifying. They weren't helping me but were rather hindering me in my walk with him. No wonder he had to send a little discipline my way in order to get me to commit to the course!

Good judgment may come with a bit of wandering, though. It is because of the misplaced steps that I knew not to step there again! One does not need to burn one's hand on a hot stove to know it is hot. One can feel the heat long before their hand ever comes into contact with it, but one must be receptive to observe the heat! The reason we wander is that we aren't being all that observant of the warnings we are given. The glowing red burner, emanating heat, and the red warning light on the stove are just a few of the warning signs we could ignore when we aren't paying attention to the condition of the stovetop. 

It is quite possible we have been given various warning signs of 'this is too hot for you to handle' in our life's circumstances, too. God makes every effort to warn us to dangers in our midst, but when we are so caught up in the 'wandering' that we refuse to focus on the signs, we can find ourselves in dangerous circumstances. Just sayin!