January | 2020 | Proverbs 31 Wanna-be

Love With Common Sense

I got saved when I was nineteen years old. I mistakenly had the idea that all who attended church were sincere, seeking to live godly lives. I was so naïve! I had so much to learn!

Even years later, I still had more to learn. There was a man in our church who was being inappropriate with the women. Unfortunately, I was one of his targets. Though I was married, I attended without my husband, which made me a target. This man was devious. He was smart enough not to bother with the pastor’s wife, nor the wives of any deacons in the church. Because of this, it took over a year to get someone in leadership to address the issue. Thankfully, a wise friend told me, “Just because you are in church does not mean you have to be nice to everyone.” Now I had the wisdom to be very cool toward him, even though the leadership was dragging their heels in confronting him.

I eventually left that church to find one that had a good youth group for our daughter. However, once she was an adult, I decided to go “home” again. During the years that I was away, many things changed in this world. It was during this time that I decided to get a gun and learn how to shoot. I learned so many things from the man who trained me – not just about gun safety and how to shoot, but about personal safety and being aware of your surroundings. One of the things that changed about me when I returned to my home church was if I was going to the altar to pray, I would always take my purse with me. An older woman eventually asked me why I do that. I explained to her that not all people who attend church are sincere and honest. Also, we have the opioid crisis, not to mention our church sits in a bad part of town. I was not about to leave my purse unattended, making myself an easy target for someone with evil intent.

I began to notice that many women still feel it is safe to leave their purses unattended. And that whole idea I had that everyone who attends church must be sincere and honest – it is still quite prevalent. That bothers me. It’s like people have stuck their heads in the sand, ignoring the dangers that may be lurking, even in church. It’s as if people leave their common sense at the doors of the church — like they don’t feel they can love others and have common sense at the same time.

In these times, that is dangerous! Case in point – the recent church shooting in White Settlement, Texas. I have watched several news stories, interviews, and read articles about this shooting. One thing that really stood out to me was how several people were uncomfortable with the shooter when he walked in with his trench coat, hat, and fake beard. However, rather than follow their gut instinct and leave, they stayed in the church. Please understand, I mean no disrespect, but why didn’t they leave? That question had gone through my head so many times.

So let’s talk about this, using some scripture to help us through the muddied waters of this depraved world in which we live.

Scripture speaks of being prudent. Practically speaking, this is using reason, skill, and good judgment. It is also using caution or circumspection as to danger or risk. Many scriptures speak of being prudent. (1 Samuel 16:18, Proverbs 12:16,23, Proverbs 13:16, Proverbs 14:8,15,23, Proverbs 15:5, Proverbs 16:21, Proverbs 18:15, Proverbs 19:14, and Hosea 14:9)

One of my favorite verses on being prudent is in Proverbs 22:3. We see that the prudent person sees evil and will hide. However, the naïve continue on, and suffer the consequences. Now let’s think back to the recent church shooting. Several people felt uncomfortable, but did not leave the building. So what consequences are they now suffering because they didn’t heed that “gut instinct” that told them something was wrong? They now have the memories of having been in an active shooter situation. They saw two people, whom they likely knew very well, murdered right before their eyes. They likely have nightmares from the event. Dealing with some PTSD after a tragic situation like that is also highly likely.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a gun, which means I go to the range and practice. I am used to hearing the sound of a gun going off. However, when I played the video from this scenario, hearing the sounds of that rifle still made me jump. I cannot imagine the terror it instilled in those who were in the church that day. My heart breaks for all of them. I am so very grateful one of the security team was able to neutralize the subject and prevent a mass casualty event from taking place.

Now let’s go back to the Word and look further for insights into this type of scenario.

Proverbs mentions over and over the benefits of gaining wisdom, discretion, insight, and understanding.

They will guard us, watch over us, and deliver us from evil. (Proverbs 2:11-12)

They will be life to our soul, helping us to walk securely, and keep our feet from being snared. (Proverbs 3:21-26)

If we run, our feet won’t stumble. If we guard instruction, it will be life for us. We will learn to see the path of evil men, to avoid it, and turn away from it. (Proverbs 4:11-15)

I believe one way we can “avoid the path of evil” is by gaining a heart of wisdom that will speak to us when we are in a dangerous situation. The Lord can speak to us, sometimes through what some call a “gut instinct,” telling you to get out of there. I have been places when I saw something that didn’t look right, and gave me a very uncomfortable feeling. I left. I have learned to trust that instinct. I would rather leave and be safe, than continue on, and find myself in a dangerous situation. I have had this happen while driving my car. Something felt “weird” about the person behind me, so I would travel a different route, just to ensure that they didn’t continue following me.

Proverbs 24:3-4 speaks of how a house is built by wisdom, and through understanding, it is filled with precious and pleasant riches. A very practical way of looking at this is when we hear that “still, small voice” speaking to us. Sometimes it doesn’t even make sense, but when we have trained ourselves to hear and know the voice of our Shepherd, we know He will not lead us down a wrong path. Many years ago, I was ready to approach the pastor to make him aware of a situation involving a man at church. I wasn’t looking to stir up trouble, but just to make him aware, in case anyone else came to him about the same thing. I asked for counsel from my three trusted, wise friends. All agreed I needed to speak to the pastor. However, after that, the Lord spoke gently, but very firmly, “Do not say anything.” Of all things, in less than two weeks, that man was dead! I am so glad I listened to the Lord, and kept my mouth shut!

Now, let’s look at what happens when we use wisdom, discretion, insight, and understanding. In Proverbs 23:15-16, we see how the Lord is glad, delights, and rejoices when our heart is wise. Think back to when you were raising your children, and you saw them mature and start making wise decisions, with great insight. How did that make you feel? I know it made you rejoice and beam with pride! God does the same thing when He sees us applying the wisdom we gain from His Word in our every day lives!

So beloved, I challenge you – whether you are in church, at the mall, in a large, public gathering, if you see something that doesn’t set well with you, leave! I have a feeling every person who had that “uncomfortable feeling” at church on that fateful morning wishes they had left. They would not wish for anyone to experience such a traumatic event.

Don’t leave common sense at the door when you walk in church. In these days where evil is so prevalent around us, it can be deadly. We can love others, but we can do it while holding onto common sense!