The Plumbline

An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom. The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash. The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it. (Proverbs 10:23, 28, 32) Ever said to yourself, "Now why'd I do THAT"? I think we probably all have at some point. We plunge right in and then in 20/20 retrospect, we wonder how we ever got as "messed up" as we did. It was probably because we had one of those times when we just didn't stop long enough to consider the consequences of what we were doing - the scripture calls this being "empty-headed". These empty-headed decisions are really not built on a solid foundation therefore they will not turn out well. Our conduct may be fun for a while, but eventually empty-headed decisions catch up with us. Mindful decisions are marked by attentiveness, awareness, and great care. These types of decisions make for a...

Many of us go through life trying to be someone we are not in order to impress somebody we don't really know in ways we probably aren't all that excited about either. Imagine being a young woman, orphaned as a young child, taken in by your cousin to be reared after your parents have died. You find yourself living in a strange land as a foreigner, your family has been so quickly taken away from you, and now you find yourself living in a "single parent" home. Not the life every young girl dreams of for sure. A decree requires you to leave the comfort of the only "home" you really knew - life is again turned on end because of something totally outside of your control. Taken from your place of comfort, you are ushered into a great harem of others being prepared for the pleasure of the king of the land - something you know nothing about, but have no choice but to do in order to survive. Months of preparation will be required, but in the end, your very life wi...