Each day I read proverbs there are many stopping points to pause and ponder. One of the beauties of proverbs is the random scroll of topics addressed. Each chapter is a tapestry of wise counsel. And while there are clearly dominant threads that weave multiple times in multiple chapters the breadth of any one chapter is a trove of practical wisdom.
Today out of the woof and weave of the chapter, verse 2 drew me to meditate. A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart.
This proverb caused me to recognize how much a product of my environment and culture I am. What I believe is true, while personal, is also deeply affected and influenced by the culture in which I live and the people I regularly associate with. Having spent time in Africa I was shocked on my early trips with differences in how life is perceived. My natural impulse was that in many of these areas of difference my way was 'right' and theirs 'wrong.' Setting aside the rightness or wrongness or even the better or worse-ness of our cultural differences, living in a different culture for an '''extended period of time helped me see how much influence my culture has upon me without me generally recognizing so.
Building upon this I look back at the proverb, A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart. I can think I am right, and I generally do think this, but God sees perfectly and by weighing the heart God can tell when we are off-kilter from His will and way and thus wrong. My heart is partially formed by my life milieu rather than being fully formed by God's will and way. Thus without realizing it I can think I am right but be off course from the Lord.
Yikes…
Lord, give me Your eyes to see where I am misled by my culture. Help me to see these divergent beliefs in me and to find the power in Your Holy Spirit to combat them within me. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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