Prudence: Not All It's Cracked Up to Be

Today as I read the Bible I came across a passage by accident. Proverbs 22:3 says, "A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." Its an interesting life that comes with prudence. A life full of safety and control, foresight and planning. When I first read this, I had a thought of relief. I thought, well that makes things easy. No, that makes things very easy. This has now become for me Biblical proof that quitters prosper!!! When things are hard for me here or there, it is prudence, it is wisdom to take refuge. It is the right thing to quit while I am ahead. It is the simpleton that keeps going down the same old road of frustration and suffers for it.
Here lies the problem and it is two fold. The first is with a misunderstanding of prudence and the second is with a misunderstanding of simplicity and suffering. If I understand prudence to be something of my own doing, something of my own ability and skill, my discernment, well then there is no safety at all in the refuge I might find. "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley" (ref. Sermon aug 28th) If, on the other hand it is the wisdom of God that comes through His spirit and is encountered in His presence, well then, there is a strong tower of refuge and help in a time of need. That seems to be a different kind of prudence. Thats more like listening then planning. There is always a situation and circumstance that seems dangerous. There will always be a potential of disaster. To follow prudence will be to never, ever complete anything. But to follow Prudence sometimes is going down the same old road and suffering for it.
The second misunderstanding, then, lies in simplicity and suffering. When I suffer, I pray it is not because of my own prudence, but I pray that I suffer because of my simplicity. To look at life as smart versus simple is to see a dynamic that doesn't exist. Life is more complicated than that. Moments, people, decisions are only smart or stupid. We live in a real world with real and delicate problems. But in the simplicity of hearing the Words of God and staying still long enough to watch as they are fulfilled there must be peace. There must be peace. There must be!
James says, "my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance."
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keeps going and suffers for it. I pray that I can avoid refuge today. I pray that I don't slink back to places that are safe for me, but instead, I pray that the proverb is true for me. I pray that I can simply keep going in suffering of any kind that it may produce endurance for me. There is a lot of running left to do today. Lord, give me grace sufficient for the challenge.