Tiny Devotional for Tuesday, 01-05-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, count it all joy!

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers,
Nor incline my ear to my instructors!
I was almost in total ruin
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
Proverbs 5:13-14, NASB

Assembly: Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

“I was almost in total ruin.”

There is a difference between being crushed, and being in total ruin; at least, there is in the context of this verse. Here, the reasons given are a failure to listen and learn; ignoring the teachers.

In my youth, I spent PLENTY of time almost in total ruin.  I always felt alone, even at a very young age; that worsened as I grew older. By the time I hit early adolescence, I was in need of SERIOUS intervention.
Nothing like that was available in 1966. 
What WAS available were a number of organic compounds (you might know them as vodka, or some such) that changed my mood, AND gave me a new peer group that accepted me.
It only took two years to go from the honor role to expulsion. Then it got worse. 
Fortunately (perhaps because I had a praying grandmother), I drew the attention of an older teen, one of the Jesus People of the late 60s.. 
My life turned around.

Then, it turned around again. Quite a few times, in fact. Up; down; up; down.

Eventually, I found out Not-Ruin was possible, and:

BEING IN THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY AND CONGREGATION MADE THAT EASIER.

Why? Accountability. Encouragement. Hard-copy support (not just talk).

Things that I could not do, WE could do.

I think that’s a feature, not a bug.


Peace be on your household.

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