Careful

DEVOTION
EPHESIANS
CAREFUL
Eph 5:15-16
15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
NIV
I know the following verse starts off with therefore and so this is but a lead in to those words which follow, but still there speak volumes in their own right. I dare say I may not me living as carefully as I might. It certainly is a word posed to me for contemplation. It is clear to me the carefulness does imply wise living rather than unwise living and as such I think the wisdom here is directed to some sort of opportunity which again is instructed in the following words which I will leave for the next day’s devotion. I think I have enough to consider in regards to simply being careful. How often is my day just another day filled with the activity of living without any regard or concern for how it is lived? I think too often or at least more often than it should be. How easy it is to be caught up in the everyday hum drum stuff which somehow seems rather meaningless compared to making the most of every opportunity. When I do sit and reflect I am able to focus on those meaningful ideals, but again those moments somehow seem to escape my normal thought process in the heat of the day. It is not as though I am completely unaware of the Spirit and his nudging and prodding to do the right thing, but at times I simply get distracted. Why is that? Why can I not constantly be so aware that all my thoughts, actions, responses and such are in the vein of making the most of every opportunity? I do think over the years I am gaining ground, but certainly not enough as I think I should be. Than those relapses are a thing I would rather forget entirely, but unfortunately I am unable to. Those plague me as a thorn in my side would. Talk about unwise! How do those impulses emerge into the open if I am being careful? Or is it I am not being careful? It certainly brings to light the need for me to focus more of the careful part and remain in that mode more of, if not all of, the time. I think this requires more thought of the world around me then simply of me. An external view rather than an internal one would be useful except in order to live with an external view I have to be concerned with my internal view as well. Self examination and reflection upon the findings with results of rectifications are an integral part of wise living. However, after such I would have to determine would be the ultimate result of living carefully during the interactions with others. So careful it is.