“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.” Ecclesiastes 10:1-2

“OH THAT’S GROSS!!” I needed to brush my teeth, but I’d lost my toothbrush on a trip. Looking through the bathroom drawer, I found an old one I could use. Washing it off with toothpaste and water, I started to brush. About 30 seconds into it I realized something was not right. Putting on my glasses and looking closely, I found a long, blond hair wrapped around the bristles. GAG!

I know there are things I can handle that others can’t. And vice versa. But to me, a hairy toothbrush is worse than eating something that dropped on a floor… even 7 seconds past the 10 second rule! Further investigation proved that the hair belonged to Katie! Which really shouldn’t have bothered me, since I loved her enough to marry her. But hair on a toothbrush, even hers, just freaks me out!

Today’s verse is not an accident. I actually went looking for it because it verifies there are some things that are just plain, disgustingly gross! Imagining spraying dead fly juice on my face doesn’t set well. Which is exactly the point trying to be made by the ‘wisest man on earth.’ There are some things that are simply intolerable to God. And the deliberate folly of fools is at the top of His list.

I had a friend who used to quote this verse to prove that God is a Republican because His heart always leans to the right! Which is hard to argue against. But in today’s world, the so-called ‘agenda of the Left’ is considered gross, or an outright ‘abomination’ to God. For example, standing up to the LGBTQ+ pushers, to protect the children of our society, often makes me feel stinky, cuz it’s gross!

I have learned the hard way that God generally cares more about ‘how and why’ I do something than He does about the ‘what and where’ I do it. Sometimes it is a very thin hairline that separates wise from foolish. But God expects me to know WHERE that line is… and to stay to the right of it. What is going on in YOUR life that God is wanting you to be wiser about? Are you making wise choices?