This morning as I was heading home after dropping one of the teenagers at her job, I saw a small bright, sparkly puffy-looking thing floating in the sky. Being a person who has seen my share of  UFO shows on the History channel, my first thought was, Wow, is the mother ship coming? Luckily I’ve seen enough scientific shows to dismiss that idea almost immediately (almost). I recognized the object as a small cloud reflecting the bright morning sun. The angle was just right to make that little fella look magical in the midst of an otherwise gloomy sky.

It made me think about how many times I’ve been fooled by illusions. Friendships. Love. A sale at Archiver’s. There are so many things in life that look bright and sparkly that are really nothing more than puffed up air.

A friend recently told me about a conversation she had about making good decisions. She said we have to depend on the three Ws:  the whispers of God’s Spirit, the authority of His Word, the wisdom of trusted advisers. When we encounter things we don’t understand, opportunities that seem too good to be true, or shiny objects that make us forget our budget, the Ws can save us from making big mistakes.

Listen. Read. Ask for advice. That sounds easy enough. Maybe if I keep doing that I can avoid becoming one of those people who wear tin foil hats while sitting on their car waiting for the mother ship.

Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion; wise realists plant their feet on the ground.
Proverbs 14:18 msg