Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without good sense.
Proverbs 11:22

I’ll start this reflection on the defensive. When the writer of Proverbs talks about wicked or foolish people, it is often implied or assumed that he is speaking of men (and we all wave our fingers in a disapproving fashion.) But we also know that what can be said in critique of a foolish or evil man will almost always jump gender to apply to a woman of the same character. Today’s Proverb (11:22) speaks about a woman, but we could also apply the wisdom to a handsome man with no good sense.

Putting a gold ring in a pig’s snout would be a waste of time. It would make the pig look a little better, but it would still be a pig, with a pig’s faults.

The same thing happens when we are enamored by just the outward appearance of a beautiful woman or a devilishly handsome man (adjective included with some envy), especially if they don’t have good sense. We need to value good sense first and foremost.

So, in our own lives, how much time do we spend trying to make ourselves attractive? How does that compare with the amount of effort we invest in studying the word of God to keep our good sense honed?

Prayer

Dear God, give me the good sense to know what I can be doing to cultivate and demonstrate the sense that follows the Holy Spirt more closely each day. In the name of the Triune God I pray. Amen.