"Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy."
Proverbs 12:20
Wow, I really like this. It makes me think of our attitudes as well as what we think about each day. Are we allowing hate, irritation, temptation, frustration, and whatever other negative emotions to play center stage in our lives? I think maybe we all do sometimes. And so we all have to learn the hard lesson of how to turn our thoughts to God.
I think there are some clues here about how to do that. Avoiding deceit is probably one... and not imagining evil. And then some positive things that we can do rather than just things to avoid. We can counsel peace, and look for joy.
There are negative and positive things all around us, and good and bad, and tons of different ways that we can react to what happens each day. Imagining evil could mean many things, but to start with let's not imagine punching people or wishing they would disintegrate. :) It probably also means let's not equate other people's actions *with* evil. Almost all of us are trying to do the right thing, not intentionally making it harder for each other. :) Let's also counsel peace. Instead of encouraging people to get back at someone else, maybe we could counsel conversation and understanding instead. Instead of getting agitated by other people's actions (driving or otherwise), let's figure out how to find some peace and joy during our journey.
Today, let's try to focus on the peaceful and joyful things around us, and not let evil into our hearts.
Proverbs 12:20
Wow, I really like this. It makes me think of our attitudes as well as what we think about each day. Are we allowing hate, irritation, temptation, frustration, and whatever other negative emotions to play center stage in our lives? I think maybe we all do sometimes. And so we all have to learn the hard lesson of how to turn our thoughts to God.
I think there are some clues here about how to do that. Avoiding deceit is probably one... and not imagining evil. And then some positive things that we can do rather than just things to avoid. We can counsel peace, and look for joy.
There are negative and positive things all around us, and good and bad, and tons of different ways that we can react to what happens each day. Imagining evil could mean many things, but to start with let's not imagine punching people or wishing they would disintegrate. :) It probably also means let's not equate other people's actions *with* evil. Almost all of us are trying to do the right thing, not intentionally making it harder for each other. :) Let's also counsel peace. Instead of encouraging people to get back at someone else, maybe we could counsel conversation and understanding instead. Instead of getting agitated by other people's actions (driving or otherwise), let's figure out how to find some peace and joy during our journey.
Today, let's try to focus on the peaceful and joyful things around us, and not let evil into our hearts.
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