I've Got A Bad Feeling About This!

Today's reading:

• Proverbs 16:30 -- Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity; whoever purses their lips is bent on evil (NIV).

Thoughts:
Does this proverb strike you as paranoid? Or perhaps as overly judgmental? Isn't it overly simplistic to make a blanket statement like this? Is it really fair to make assumptions about people based on a quick twitch of their facial muscles? Does this proverb encourage us to read too much into people's morality with too little evidence?

First, let's remember that proverbs encapsulate general truths and principles. There are exceptions. But proverbs proclaim the general rule.

In this case, the general rule is simple, but too often ignored in today's politically correct environment. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.

This verse mentions winks and pursed lips. But there are plenty of other clues we use to decide whether to trust someone. Can they look us in the eye, or do they keep looking away? Do they keep silent and think carefully about how to answer (or what to reveal to you) when asked what should have been a relatively easy question?

And while we shouldn't pre-judge a person's character based on their outward appearance, in terms of deciding whether they could possibly be a reliable person or not, we should pre-judge in terms of whether they choose clothing or speech patterns or other adornments that indicate whether or not they are in alignment with our own ways of seeing the world. I'm automatically more leery of trusting someone with tons of bling who walks with a swagger than I am of trusting someone who keeps his or her appearance nice, but subdued. The first person is trying to prove something, it feels like, and I'm not sure I want to be involved in that.

So if you have a bad feeling, don't jump in. Be cautious. Discretion is a wise course of action. And it's a good thing -- even if it's not always politically correct.