Luke 13:17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

It’s amazing how uncommon “common sense” actually is! We get caught in our accustomed thought patterns, conditioned by tradition and habit, and end up ignoring actual logic, without realizing it’s happening. Many of the things Jesus taught seem counter-intuitive, like loving your enemies, but many, like this instance, are simply logic beating out tradition. Things like this made the crowds love Him, but some of His teaching drove them away, like the majority of John chapter 8. The thing is, we are creatures of habit, and that certainly extends to our thought patterns. We need to let God renew and refresh our thought patterns, just as it says in Proverbs. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) The problem is, we often don’t recognize when we are failing to listen to and trust God. It’s not so hard to see and recognize that in those around us, but much more difficult to acknowledge in ourselves. We defend ourselves too hard! We need to start with the awareness that A, everything on this earth is temporary, and B, we don’t have all the answers, only God does. That is frankly not an easy mindset to maintain, but it is certainly the pathway to peace and real success.

I am faced with this constantly, in myself and in those around me. I made some mistakes in our planning for this trip, and they have cost me financially. I also forgot my camera at home, and for someone as involved in photography as I am, that was a huge blow. However, I realize that not having the camera will force me to focus more on the people around me, pun intended. Arriving at our first stop on this trip, I am confronted with multiple failures of technology. To say that is frustrating is an understatement, but again, it is forcing me to be aware of what is ultimately important, and it’s NOT technology or the Internet! I also see people I love hurting themselves and those around them with misplaced priorities, and that is painful to me as well. I need to walk in conscious forgiveness, of myself and of those around me, so that together we may grow into the children God desires, saying and doing His will for the benefit of everyone, and for His glory.

Father thank You for this reminder. It’s sad that I need it so often! Help me indeed be obedient to the Proverbs passage. I’ve liked it most of my life, but I’m still not consistent in carrying it out. Thank You for this lesson in genuine humility. May I indeed listen to You first, and not just as a last resort. May I be an open, effective channel of Your love, grace, and mercy, for the blessing of all and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!