The Good Sense God Gave You

Remember when you were little and you did something you weren't supposed to do, like color on the walls or forget your swimsuit for a swimming party?  What was the first thing your mom used to say to you? "Why don't you use the good sense God gave you?"

While I didn't know then what the heck she was talking about, I did understand that I had done something I shouldn't have, or I should have been able to figure out a better way to do what ever it is I did wrong.

Nowadays, I'm trying to use the good sense God gave me.

This saying comes into my mind whenever I'm trying to figure something out--like this nutrition plan my doctor has me on. It takes effort, and time, and I have to figure out a whole new way of doing things.

I complain, and I whine, and I say that it's impossible for someone who works full-time to have enough time to prepare all these "special" meals; and who in their right mind lives this long without chocolate!!

But then a voice chimes out in my head: "Use the good sense I gave you."

God gave me three gifts to help me on my way: organization, great cooking/baking skills, and good research skills. Really, if I want to be honest with myself, that's all I really need to eat a healthy, nutritional diet. Well, that and a hefty paycheck to pay for all the fresh groceries.

And some days when laziness and fatigue set in and I start dreaming of hiring a personal chef, I feel like I can use those gifts to avoid the drive-thru, figure out something quick and easy and still be nutritional--even if it's something I've stashed in my pantry or freezer. 

I have figured out that yes, you can eat banana nut muffins on the no-white-foods diet, and there is still a way to have chocolate if you know how to fix it.

This also works when you need an answer to something. I remember this one time when I sat down to take an Economics exam. I prepared judiciously for this test--studied, made note cards, and took all the practice exams. I got to school, got my test, sat down, looked at all the charts and graphs, and drew a complete blank. 

As panic set in and the reality hit home that this test counted for thirty percent of my grade, I decided to say a prayer and just fudge my way through the whole test. Turns out, the answers were inside my head all along, and it got me a 93 on the test! 

What I found out was that when stuck for an answer on something, chances are you probably already know the answer. It's there, deep down, sitting right next to your God-given good sense.

So are you stuck wondering how you are going to accomplish some task that seems unaccomplishable (I know that's not a word, but work with me here)? My guess is you already have the tools and the know-how to do it, even if your tools tell you to go and get help from someone else or "fake it 'til you make it."