“All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly” (Proverbs 13:16).

If you ever get caught under a colossal pile of snow as a result of an avalanche, don’t dig blindly. Spit first. Let me explain.

Science Magazine told the story of an individual who, after being trapped under the snow, died. But before he died, he dug thirty feet in the wrong direction. Instead of digging up he dug down. He dug deeper into the snow, and further from the possibility of escape or rescue.

He had been caught in air pocket. But in those air pockets gravity still works. If he had taken a moment to spit first he would have been reminded about gravity. As a result, he would have been able to spend his energy digging in the right direction (up not down).*

Life can seem like an avalanche. It gets busy and fast-paced. Things pile up. Decisions keep coming at you. How often do we spend all of our precious energy digging and working in the wrong direction, instead of the right one?

Do we think before we act? Or do we just work and work and work and do and do and do without taking the time to first think about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. 

In the proverb listed above, the “prudent act with knowledge.” In other words, their actions are based on knowledge. They don’t live blindly. They live deliberately.

I encourage you to do the same, even when life feels overwhelming. 

Is this or that activity a wise way to spend time and energy, or will it simply perpetuate a hamster wheel that keeps me away from what matters most? 

Let’s think first, then act.

Why would we want to spend all our time and energy digging in the wrong direction?

Notes:

-After some vacation time, this devotional is back five days a week. I also return to preach and teach at Westminster in Barrie this Sunday. Click here to learn more.

-*As told in: Kyle Idleman, The End of Me (David C Cook: Colorado Springs, 2015), 63-64.

-Bible quotes are from the NIV.