I did not have good sense when I was growing up. My inquisitiveness certainly helped up my career. But I am still amazed that my parents survived my childhood.
My sister wisely disowned me and never recognized me in public. During this time, we lived away from relatives, so they were not placed in an untenable position of acknowledging me while feigning ignorance of my foolishness.
Let give you just a small sample from just a couple of months of my 10th year on Earth:
Foolish Ideas
I loved being outside, at least that’s what Mom always told me. So I would spend several hours every day bouncing a tennis ball off the side of the two-story house we rented in town. I assume my mother preferred this continual bong-bong sound to that of me being inside the house.
I found a couple of cast iron molds that Dad made during his college years. Spying those I knew I could do something with them. I rummaged around until I found a large box of paraffin. Brilliant! The thought came to me in a flash.
I took the paraffin to our one-car, detached garage. I found Dad’s propane torch and some matches. I was nearly set. Looking around, I found two concrete blocks. I placed one of the cast-iron molds on the concrete blocks, leaving a gap between the blocks, and filled the mold with slices of paraffin. I lit up the torch, slid it between the concrete blocks, so the flame was blowing against the mold. It worked! The paraffin melted into the shape of the mold.
I was so proud of myself that I ran into the house and showed it to Mom and Dad. Yep. I never got the chance to try out the State of Indiana mold. It would have been so cool.
Beware of Landmines
Our next-door neighbor wanted the backyard hedge trimmed way back. She said she would pay me if I’d do the work. I said, “yes!” As a man of my word, I cut that hedge so far back it was lower than me.
Unfortunately, Mom got an earful from the landlord. It seemed that there was a longstanding feud between our neighbor and our landlord concerning that hedge. The hedge was on the landlord’s property, but our neighbor hated it. I got paid and sternly warned to never do anything like that without the landlord’s approval.
I’ve got ten more months of stories, but by now you have a good understanding of my lack of common sense. As a kid, I didn’t think things through which leads me to our Scripture for today.
Today’s Scripture
Proverbs 16:22, Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.
I pray that God increases your already deep well of good sense and that He guards you against fools.
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
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