Common Sense

Year 8-Day 62: Today, I am grateful for common sense.

The death of common sense should be deeply mourned. Some days, I think it is more rare than diamonds or gold.

In times of trouble and the good times, those with naturally developed common sense shine. Remember when you would tell your mother, "It hurts when I do this."? Her reply was simple and short. "Don't do that." Common sense. Whatever ache or pain you feel will heal if you have to poke at the pain to feel it.

When times are good... the one who saves is the one who can weather the storms when bad years come. As a farm girl, we knew this beyond a shadow of a doubt. We could make due without. We knew garage sale clothing and hand-me-downs. At the time, it seemed unfair as friends received new wardrobes each fall before school started.

Now, I realize it helped April and I develop or creativity and our abilities to up-cycle before recycling was cool. We learned to savor new clothing, but it was meant to be shared and was truly "disposable". If it was damaged, we could let it go. (Okay... the letting go of my favorite shoes and coats is not as easy, but it is because they are more old friends than clothing.)

Mama and Dad viewed it a "common sense" to not waste money on perishable items like clothing, although a few good church clothes were necessary to dress well for the Lord.

Someone recently shared this quote with me and I have been chewing on it for days:

"You don't want to be so open-minded that your brains fall out." -GK Chesterton

What a great quote. God gave us a brain and he expects us to use it. He gave us a soul and He expects us to seek him. He gave us a heart and he expects us to love Him and love others. He expects us to put on the armor he designed so we can be a light to the world.  We are to be gentle and caring with children, especially orphans. We are instructed to care for the widows, too. We must chase His heart more than the things of this world. We are to use things and love  Him and the people he created. Anything outside of that... is senseless.

In Ecclesiastes 1:2, the wisest man who every lived, King Solomon, said it is all meaningless. Why? Because nothing compares to walking, talking and seeking to live within the will of the Master of the Universe.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” That scripture used to confuse me. It used to seem hopeless and a bit of a mystery why our loving God would give us life for such misery. I had missed the lesson. Nothing compares to a life in Him, for Him and with Him.

Again, Earworm pulls out the old Amy Grant song. "We're just here to learn to love him. We'll be home in just a little while." That is common sense. What will we do today that reflects our efforts to "seek His kingdom first?" To do that very thing is the reason we were created. It is so obvious when we look at the scriptures collectively. It is, indeed, common sense.

Today, I am grateful for common sense.