What is your "front stoop?"
Proverbs 9:14--This passage reminded me of the "front stoop" culture. If you grew up or lived in the city, the stoop was were folks chatted--or gossiped--and caught up with one another. Sitting on the concrete steps on warm summer evenings watching the kids play on the sidewalk is a big slice of Americana.
As nostalgic as this is, there were and are seedier sides to this culture. As with nearly anything good, evil can corrupt it.
When my hubby was in the Navy, we lived in enlisted military housing. Built during World War II, the cinder-block townhomes had a small front stoop where wives would sit and watch their children play in the grassy common area.
I got to know a lot of the women by walking by and chatting a few minutes everyday. It wasn't long before I figured out that the wise, productive women had a schedule for the length of time they sat. A few hours off and on each day. But, by dinner time, they collected their chair, glass of iced tea, and their children so that they could prepare their meals.
The wives who stuck around most of the day generally were the gossipers and troublemakers. They loved drawing other naive wives into their web--like me.
I hate to admit, but there were many nights Bob would come home famished and find me getting my ear bent by one of those gossipers.
The "front stoop" temptations always begin innocently enough. The naive are easily fooled into not only wasting time, but listening to toxic information that takes time to cleanse from the spirit.
Remain with these "front stoop" tempters and it's easier to be pulled into their "homes" where we can be tangled into even more trouble. Which, by the way, happened to me. Not a fun memory.
By employing wisdom and discernment, we can spot these "front stoop" tempters and temptations.
As nostalgic as this is, there were and are seedier sides to this culture. As with nearly anything good, evil can corrupt it.
When my hubby was in the Navy, we lived in enlisted military housing. Built during World War II, the cinder-block townhomes had a small front stoop where wives would sit and watch their children play in the grassy common area.
I got to know a lot of the women by walking by and chatting a few minutes everyday. It wasn't long before I figured out that the wise, productive women had a schedule for the length of time they sat. A few hours off and on each day. But, by dinner time, they collected their chair, glass of iced tea, and their children so that they could prepare their meals.
The wives who stuck around most of the day generally were the gossipers and troublemakers. They loved drawing other naive wives into their web--like me.
I hate to admit, but there were many nights Bob would come home famished and find me getting my ear bent by one of those gossipers.
The "front stoop" temptations always begin innocently enough. The naive are easily fooled into not only wasting time, but listening to toxic information that takes time to cleanse from the spirit.
Remain with these "front stoop" tempters and it's easier to be pulled into their "homes" where we can be tangled into even more trouble. Which, by the way, happened to me. Not a fun memory.
By employing wisdom and discernment, we can spot these "front stoop" tempters and temptations.
The first sign is someone who eats up our time. Time away from our families and responsibilities.
The second sign is how that time is spent. If the time is unproductive, that's a red flag. If the time is negative--like gossip--depart quickly. If the time is spent doing things that cost us--money or emotions--most likely the cost is even greater than we might think.
Whether the temptations are on an actual front stoop, over a fence, on the phone, or via social media, avoiding the problem is so much simpler than untangling ourselves from it. But there's no better time than the present to change. Stay on wisdom's path and walk right by the "front stoop" tempters.
May we bypass the "front stoop" temptations, my friend.
Proverbs 9:14--So she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the heights of the city... Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible#tlvproverbs
[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
The second sign is how that time is spent. If the time is unproductive, that's a red flag. If the time is negative--like gossip--depart quickly. If the time is spent doing things that cost us--money or emotions--most likely the cost is even greater than we might think.
Whether the temptations are on an actual front stoop, over a fence, on the phone, or via social media, avoiding the problem is so much simpler than untangling ourselves from it. But there's no better time than the present to change. Stay on wisdom's path and walk right by the "front stoop" tempters.
May we bypass the "front stoop" temptations, my friend.
Proverbs 9:14--So she sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the heights of the city... Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible#tlvproverbs
[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
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