Tag: Proverbs 11:5

The Way of Righteousness

Commonplace –

“The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness” (Proverbs 11:5).

Yesterday, while I was scanning the room for supplies I might need for my co-op class, my eyes landed on a pair of scissors. I thought about the lesson I was going to teach and realized I didn’t need scissors, so I moved on. Then, a little voice inside me urged me to bring the scissors with me. After years of experience disregarding the voice to my own detriment, I just tossed the scissors into my bag. What difference would it make if I brought them and had no use for them? Off we went to co-op.

During the first class of the day, I was serving as a class helper. Part way through the class, the teacher paused, glanced around searchingly, and asked, “Did anyone bring any scissors? I don’t have mine.” I immediately produced the pair of scissors I had tossed into my bag, and she thanked me gratefully. Later, in my own class during the second hour, I never needed the scissors. The scissors were not for me but were a help to another in need.

Do you ever hear that little voice in your head? I know my children do, because we have talked about it. It’s the voice that nudges us toward the good, convicts us of bad ideas, and reminds us of things we didn’t even realize we needed. I’ve learned a few important lessons from listening to it:

1. Disregard it, and you will regret it.
2. Continue to disregard it, and it will grow weaker.
3. Listen to it, and you will not regret it.
4. Continue to listen to it, and it grows stronger.

Whenever I have ignored the voice, I have always regretted it. Sometimes it’s about something simple, like the scissors in my story; sometimes it’s about big things, important things, character-shaping decisions.

Proverbs 11:5 reminds me of this little voice. It is the good that is directing us on the right path, when we are open to receiving the message. If we ignore it, we become like the wicked and fall from our own foolishness.

Works Cited

Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:5.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

© 2026 Angela Hormberg