“Dear child, I want your full attention; please do what I show you. A whore is a bottomless pit; a loose woman can get you in deep trouble fast. She’ll take you for all you’ve got; she’s worse than a pack of thieves.” Proverbs 23:26-28
There are some harsh words in this passage of scripture… words that make me wince. I certainly don’t make “whore” a habit of my everyday vocabulary, but it doesn’t mean I should skim past this verse in an attempt to avoid what’s uncomfortable.
Therefore I will let the words sink in.
I will lean into what wisdom can be gained.
I will embrace the hidden truth behind such grimacing symbolism.
And when I do that, “whore” easily becomes “distraction.”
Distraction is something we can all relate to because everyday we are ALL tempted to sell our attention to something.
Who is that?
What is that?
When I ask my boys to listen to me, I expect them to stop what they’re doing, make eye contact with me and focus their mind in the right direction.
I don’t want a head that’s tilted but with eyes that are somewhere else.
I don’t want eyes that are fixed but with a gaze that’s dazed and confused.
“Dear Child, I want your full attention.”
Anything or anyone else that tries to make us believe it can provide fulfillment in the same way Christ can is simply a dressed up distraction selling something quick, easy and fake.
Wisdom resolution means we heed the warning:
May we not “sell ourselves” short for what this world has to offer when Christ has something so much more.
