The irony of the scene is obvious. A seemingly poor woman playing her instrument for donations outside of the world-renown Concert Hall in New York City.
No doubt Concert Hall patrons would have a variety of reactions: Some compassionate, others indignant.
How would you have reacted?
Proverbs 28:27 states a startling principle:
“Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.”
Let us not hide our eyes.
Proverbs 17:28 – “Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.”
My grandfather often said: “if you can’t improve on silence then don’t speak.”
He lived by that adage.
He was a man of few but weighty words.
It’s only the Holy Spirit who can hold a believer’s tongue!
And often the believer’s tongue needs holding!
It’s great to see these two having a belly-laugh together!
Proverbs 17:22 assures:
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
There certainly is a time to take things & oneself seriously but only doing that is unhealthy.
There are a lot of broken-spirit, dried-up-boned persons. They rarely laugh & they usually criticize those who do laugh. These unhappy & unhealthy souls take themselves altogether too seriously.
Every once and a while it will do you good to watch or to listen to some clean humour.
How about this Saturday?
Too many unsolicited words often reveal the foolishness of the speaker. It’s better to be slow to speak.
Proverbs 17:28:
My Grandfather’s creed was “if you can’t improve on silence, then don’t speak.”
Too often alcohol masquerades as a help but actually it usually makes things worse.
Drunkenness has ruined marriages, killed motorists, stolen virginity, diseased human body organs, destroyed friendships, loosened tongues, ended employments, heightened depressions, caused murders & suicides.
But ALL THAT is never printed on the labels of beer & wine bottles!
In Proverbs 20:1 our merciful God warns us:
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.”
You may say: “Not everyone who takes a drink becomes drunk.”
I agree. But it’s also true that no one gets drunk who refuses a drink!
How could this happen? Well, obviously they had never launched a boat before! But still, how do you not back down the ramp? And what are they checking by the stern while their pick-up truck fills up with lake water?Foolish is as foolish does!
Proverbs 12:15 says this about someone who is a fool (in God’s evaluation!):
“Way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.”
If they didn’t know how to launch a boat, they could’ve avoided a lot of embarrassment & expense by asking someone how to do it!
Be wise & not foolish: Readily admit that you’re not always right and don’t hesitate to seek the advice of others who know more than you do.
Can you imagine filling out the insurance claim form for this fiasco?
