Haste in Choosing Toilet Tissue and Other Important Decisions

I’ve been up and out in the berry brambles early the last few mornings, collecting gallons of the beautiful fruit that surrounds our farm.  While it isn’t all joy, I do love picking berries.  Most of us know that wherever there are prickly brambles, there lives poison ivy.  For some reason the sight of poison ivy always reminds me of a particular childhood experience:

My youngest brother, Louie and I spent a lot of time playing in the woods.  Home was often a long way from where we were playing and returning there to take care of our bathroom needs seemed senseless.  So… we often “did our duty” wherever we were playing.  Old fallen trees worked well for a “resting” seat and leaves were often handy and useful as toilet “paper”.  Well… most of the time, that is.

One day, I was overly anxious to get back to whatever we were playing and I didn’t take the necessary time to consider what leaves I might be holding in my hand

It wasn’t long before I realized that

my hasty toilet “tissue” decision was going to result in

a long and excruciatingly painful consequence!

When the itching, blisters and burning developed, I thought I’d die of discomfort before I’d ever get better.  Needless to say, I learned my lesson about my choice of nature’s toilet “tissues!”

Have you ever made hasty decisions that led to painful consequences?  Maybe you

• married too quickly.
• left a good job out of frustration.
• spent money unwisely.
• opened your mouth too soon.

We’ve all found ourselves suffering the consequences of our haste.  What is important, however, is “did we learn?”  Most of us nod our heads an emphatic, “Yes, I learned that

• I should have never married the jerk!”
• I should have stayed with the great job that I already had!”
• I should have not purchased that!”
• I should have kept my mouth shut!”

It’s good that we all learn something from our mistakes.  But… are we missing the broader and possibly more important lesson in these experiences?  While it’s true that I should not have used those leaves, is the greater lesson found in simply gearing my pace down a notch or two in order to prevent the major “pain in the wazoo” in the first place?

It’s not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.

Proverbs 19:2

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845