I love Colorado.  Absolutely love it.

Except for one thing.  I am not all that fond of driving in Colorado.  Especially on some of those mountain roads.  Especially on CO 82 between Aspen and Buena Vista.  There are two reasons for that.  

1.  The road gets very skinny in some places and you have to drive far closer to the edge than is appropriate in my estimation.  In fact, in some places it is so skinny that if you meet a car coming from the other direction, one of you has to back up until you reach a wider spot.  Worse than driving on a skinny road with steep drop-offs is driving backwards on a skinny road with steep drop-offs.

2.  Colorado has an aversion to guard rails.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it ruins the fun?  I don't know.  But if I am having to back up on a skinny road with a sheer cliff to the side of me, I would like to have a little reassurance.

They say that the scenery on CO 82 is fabulous.  I wouldn't know.  I was too afraid to look.  You know, the car tends to go where the eyes go...

Guard rails - they keep us from getting off track.  But most of life doesn't come with physical guard rails.  So we have to develop them internally.  In this chapter Solomon suggest three areas of life where we need restraint - eating, drinking and working.

23:4
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.

23:20,21
Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness covers them in rags.

There are other verses in this chapter that refer to these issues, and there are other issues in life that also require restraint, but these three are instructive.

Eating without restraint is gluttony.

Drinking without restraint is drunkenness.

Working without restraint  - sometimes we call those people workaholics.

But in each case the real issue is a lack of restraint.  A lack of guard rails.  And a lack of wisdom.  How are you doing with each?

Read Proverbs 23

Restraint is simply the ability to tell yourself  "NO!"

• Sometimes we need to say no to the pillow.
• Sometimes we need to say no at the store.
• Sometimes we need to say no to dessert.
• Sometimes we need to say no to Netflix.
• Sometimes we need to say no to... (what is on your list?)

Interestingly, none of these things are necessarily wrong - but they become wrong when we live without restraint.

Today's wisdom:

Just say no - to yourself!