'Prudent' is a word usually associated with frugality. Being prudent in your speech generally means few words, just as prudent spending generally means few receipts and fewer regrets. Prudence, as it is commonly understood and used, is the aspect of wisdom regarding our resources--how we use them (which usually also means how we see them, by the way.) It's a very relatable word for those of us struggling with the widespread problem of not having enough time/energy/insert overused word of choice. How much time should I spend on people, how much energy to invest in relationships? How many minutes must I give to my devotions, how many seconds to prayer? How much do I have to restrain myself from doing what I feel like doing, or force myself to do what I don't feel like doing? How much money should I tithe, how many dollars do I have to donate to feel safely good about myself? How little am I allowed to spend on myself and my desires? How little do I sleep so I have time for something else? How much is too much, how little is too little? Oh, for prudence, we sigh. If only we knew...if only there was a nice handy measuring cup to dole out our resources, and a clear-cut recipe to follow for a perfectly balanced life... 'The wise in heart shall be called prudent...' ~proverbs 16:21 The book of Proverbs is our family meal-table tradition. Growing up, we went through Proverbs three times at the regular rhythm of one proverb per meal. Guess what. We're doing the rounds for the fourth time. My mom was trying to think through what exactly Proverbs 16:21 meant, and she gave an explanation that I wasn't expecting, but which caught my attention. The thought that prudence may not necessary mean simply sparing with your resources. That 'wise in heart' may be more than the superficial cautious, careful, reserved that we'd generally assume from the context of the sentence. Perhaps, she suggested, wise in heart meant instead that you value the things God values; that your heart's emotions, desires, loves, are God-centered rather than self-centered. Perhaps this is where prudence begins. Perhaps prudent managing of your resources isn't about how much--or how little--you give of your _____(again, insert word of choice); isn't only the external act of self-control/restraint that we tend to think is all it means. Perhaps prudence starts in the heart. When we love, feel, want wisely, the actions and decisions we make regarding our resources will be influenced as well. When we value what is truly valuable, when we love what is truly worth loving, when we desire what is truly worth desiring, we will give it the priority it deserves in our life. And everything else will fall into place, because--to use that old analogy--once you fit the big pebbles into your bottle, the sand fills into the spaces snugly. Prudence, in that case, is not a merely logical and methodical set of decisions made by the brain. It is the result of a heart that loves and feels wisely; a 'wise heart.' 'The wise in heart shall be called prudent...'
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