Common Sense is Not that Common

Genesis 25:27-34, "One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, 'I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!' 'All right,' Jacob replied, 'but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.' 'Look, I’m dying of starvation!' said Esau. 'What good is my birthright to me now?' But Jacob said, 'First you must swear that your birthright is mine.' So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn."

Common sense is not that common. Common sense is too often something learned, after being reckless with what we have been given to begin with. This story is the story of my life. How ridiculous! Too often I was willing to trade my future for the instant gratification, of the thrill of satisfaction, right now. People who do not have common sense, do not look ahead to see what consequences may follow in the decisions they are making in the moment. It can even be something as simple as the way you dress. Living in Gunnison, I have learned that you need to think ahead when you leave the house. It is wise to dress in layers. When you leave, it may be warm, but in 30 minutes a storm could move in and you wished you had another shirt. So it is wise to take layers of clothes, that you can take off or put on. When I was young, I did not use wisdom in the way that I dressed, but it was more than just about layering.

I so wanted others to notice me. I wanted to stand out and draw others attention. It started with little things, like wearing a shirt that would gap if I bent over. I knew what I was doing. I was drawing attention, but hiding my intent by looking mostly presentable. When the opportunity would arise, then I would simply show what I wanted to, give that little invitation. The part that I was not paying attention to, was the long term affects that simple action would do to my heart. You see it starts so subconsciously, so subtle. Then as your heart gets accustomed to the feelings of being noticed, your clothing becomes more provocative and brazen. Till you do not see yourself as others see you. But, the beautiful thing is that your heart is always crying out for protection. You just may not realize that is what is happening, because instead of change, our tendency is to become defensive.

I remember one day my mother made a comment about the shirt that I was wearing. I got so hurt. I became so defensive. How dare her attack me like that. I was so wrong. She was not attacking me, she was only making an observation and I took defense. It was my heart crying out for protection. My defense was my heart begging for someone to save me from the destruction I was causing to myself. So here is what I have learned, if you immediately get hurt and get defensive when someone addresses something, it may be your heart needs healing. Instead of attacking that person, maybe we need to stop and look at what is really behind our reaction. Maybe it is your heart crying out, begging you to look ahead at what could be a devastating consequence for you in the future. You may be selling your birthright right now, for a pleasure that will only bring you regret in the long run.