PROVERBS 14:15 AMP
“The naive or inexperienced person [is easily misled and] believes every word he hears, But the prudent man [is discreet and astute and] considers well where he is going.”
GOLD NUGGETS
Yesterday we started dealing with trust as one of the pillars of wisdom. Without trust, society would deteriorate into paranoia – the feeling that everyone is out to get you.
Erik Erikson, a famous psychiatrist, says that the capacity to trust is the foundation of good emotional health, and conditions such as chronic anxiety, high nervousness or paranoia could be caused by an inability to trust. Although people may let us down and betray our trust, we must be careful that we do not allow those experiences to lead us to the conclusion that everyone we meet is a conspirator. On the other hand, you will no doubt have come across the expression “a trusting fool” – a phrase used to describe the person who is unable to discern the diabolical schemes that might be hatched up to exploit him. Erikson also says: “Unless we have a balanced approach to life – a basic trust together with a certain degree of caution – then we will never achieve emotional maturity or wholeness. Note his words carefully – “a balanced approach to life.”Therein lies the secret. We must learn how to trust whilst at the same time exercising a certain amount of caution. Our text tells us that “a simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps (NIV)”. Trust is very necessary for life but being thoughtful is being very prudent. SHALOM – Peace: God’s all encompassing blessings to you.
