Never Buy a Used Toothbrush

Do you really have to tell people not to buy a used toothbrush. I think you do. Common sense isn't so common, is it? I ride a bike to work each day. I have the opportunity to watch people as they drive. I have to ride defensively or I will not ride again. I have to see if they are aware they are about to run over me. I watch their eyes. The eyes reveal where their attention is.

A lot has been said about people using cell phones while they drive. Believe me, cell phones aren't the worst thing they can do. I watch people read magazines, eat and play musical instruments while they drive. I see them completely engrossed in changing their ipods to the songs they love. One guy actually turned into the sidewalk I was traveling down. He was oblivious to where he was or where he was going. Where is the sense in doing this?

Yet, people must know that they can't spend more money than they have in their bank accounts. They should know that the amount on their credit cards will have to be paid back. They should know that they can't afford a new car or new house according to their incomes. They should know that going home with someone who is not your spouse isn't going to make family relationships better.

Young people should know that their chances of getting a Christian for a spouse is better in church than in a bar. They should know that no one really wants someone who has been had by everyone else. They should know that driving under the influence is not safe. They should know that seatbelt will do them no good if it isn't buckled around them. It doesn't take a mental genius to understand that bad grades will result in failure.

I wonder if people make the connection between actions and consequences. I think they just want to have fun without thinking of the consequence of their fun. I believe they want to avoid any discomfort as long as they can. Maybe that's why they vote for someone who will promise to get them out of the trouble they caused themselves.

The problems we face today were yesterday's solutions. Welfare increased poverty. The national income tax resulted in a huge government. Sub-prime loans resulted in a housing crash.

The bailouts from the government will result in higher taxes, inflation and a more stressed economy. It has to. The bills will have to be paid someday. The consequences cannot be avoided forever.

We need a huge dose of wisdom.

Or else, you might start shopping for used toothbrushes.

Proverbs 8:1-11 (NIV)
¹ Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? ² On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; ³ beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: ⁴ "To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. ⁵ You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. ⁶ Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. ⁷ My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. ⁸ All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. ⁹ To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge. ¹⁰ Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, ¹¹ for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.