Paths

 

"Mrs. Potter, There was a big mess on the floor in that bathroom."

Teaching kids how to use and share public restrooms in a hygienic fashion is not my favorite job.  But it has to be done.

"Okay, I'll let the custodian know, do you still need to use the bathroom?"

"No, I just walked carefully in it."

And then across the floor and into the halls.🤢

Common sense says we look where we are going.  

That we avoid messes and try to keep our feet clean in bathrooms.

According to the grand authority, Wikipedia, a proverb is " a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience."

Both my experience with bodily waste and years in elementary bathrooms and simple common sense says we should look where we are walking (and always wear shoes in there, but that's a story for another day!).

But it's good spiritual advice as well.

Proverbs 4:26 says to "ponder the path of thy feet".

Pay attention to what you are stepping in and where it could be going! 

Sister Elaine L Jack wisely put it this way, "Today we see all around us the adversary at work—and he is succeeding. He has twisted truths to his purposes, and throngs have followed. Either we are holding fast to the iron rod or, perhaps, unconsciously, we are letting go by just a few fingers and are slowly slipping away. “Not me,” you might say, but none of us is exempt. Nor are we immune to sidesteps in a frantic rush to do it all, the desire to have it all, and the justification to need it all—now. Satan is ruthless, and his efforts are never ending."

It is not enough to just mindlessly meander and follow along with others. 

We must be intentional about each step we take as we follow Jesus Christ.