Don't Feed the Sea Gulls!

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."     Prov. 14:12

During the summertime there is nowhere I'd rather be than sitting with my toes in the sand, the sun warming my skin, and the smell of salt air invading my airways.  Unfortunately, my family doesn't seem to share the same affinity for the beach as I do, so I either have to coerce them into going, or just go by myself!

Whenever I do end up dragging the kids to the beach, I always have to remind them not to feed the sea gulls.  Of all the things there are to do in the midst of God's big playground and pool, they seem to find it more fun to feed nuisance birds! 

For those of you who have spent some time at the beach, you'll know why one shouldn't feed the sea gulls.  Yes, it's cute watching them eat cheese curls or bread from your sandwich.  What's not cute is having to have an impromptu science lesson about how quickly the digestive tracks of sea gulls works as they fly away and deposit an offensive present on your head or beach towel!

There are so many things in life that seem just as cute and harmless, but end up leaving a big pile of hurt in our laps when all is said and done. 

• We think the first cigarette surely won't lead to a lifetime of smoking. 
• We're certain the cute guy in high school who has absolutely no moral compass or convictions just has to be the right one for us to marry. 
• We're convinced that partying through college won't affect our grades or reputation.
• We think that neglecting regular worship opportunities due to other obligations or festivities won't affect our children's faith in the future.
• We're certain that a little bit of debt here and a little bit of debt there won't add up to a mountain of bills that we realistically can't afford.
• We're sure the subtle flirting that we participate in with a co-worker won't lead to eventual infidelity.

We're all probably guilty of some of those things.  We're guilty of looking through our rose colored glasses, only to be eaten up by thorns whenever reality sets in.

The wise writer of Proverbs tells us that many times we are deceived and swayed by our desires.  Perhaps we can't fully see what lies on the other side of the road, so we go with a gut instinct and make a choice based on emotion or pleasure. 

A few verses prior to our focal verse says:

"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception."  Prov. 14:8

If we're truly desiring to possess Godly wisdom, we're going to strive to not make our decisions on a whim.  We're going to think through the ramifications of our choices.  We're also more likely to do these three very important things:

• Seek Godly Advice
• Seek God's Word
• Seek God's Guidance in Prayer 

Jesus tells us in the New Testament that the paths that lead to life are straight and narrow.  You can guarantee that the choices we make in this life that are out of God's will are going to cause us to swerve and veer haphazardly through life.

So, maybe you've made some of those disastrous choices at some point in time.  Did you learn from them?  Have you learned that seeking God in your decision making will always provide a straighter path to walk down? 

Hear me when I say that I have made my fair share of decisions on a whim . . .  and I still make them from time to time!  However, I have learned that it's always wiser to slow down and let God be a part of  every decision, no matter how big or how small it is.

If you have a decision that is facing you today, don't rely on your own wisdom, but seek God's through prayer and through His Word.  Seek those wise and Godly people that He has placed in your life to bounce your ideas off of.  Choose the path that doesn't cause you to veer to the right or the left, but rather the straight and narrow path that leads to life.