Proverbs 26:11Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.Proverbs Daily is a reader-supported publication. All posts are free, but all donations help spread the message. When you see the word âupgrade,â youâre simply invited to help me make the sacred positively contagious...thank you in advance for becoming a free or paid subscriber.Ever walked into a room, heard a dog gagging, and before you could get thereâyepâitâs lapping upâŠwhat it just threw up? đ€ą Jusâ Nasty! If youâve ever had a dog, you know what Iâm talking aboutâIâm sure youâve seen it. And then they wanna just come up in your face and lick on you like, âWhatâs up friend đ¶đ
â Ahhh! And as gross as that is⊠thatâs exactly the picture Proverbs 26:11 wants you to see.đ âLike a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly!âWhat? Like I said, âJus Nasty.âđ€But Itâs Almost Not Fair CauseâŠDogs and humans are built differently. See, dogsâas well as some other animals like wolves đș, birds đŠ, sheep đ, giraffes đŠ, and even cows đâ regurgitate their food because itâs natural for them. Regurgitation serves various purposes for these animals from digestion and feeding offspring, to social bonding and defense. (I donât even want to askâŠ)But humans? Weâre wired differently. We have a built in gag-reflex designed to reject what comes back upâitâs protective. The smell alone is enough to make your stomach turn đ€ź and your body instinctively says, âAhh Nope, this isnât supposed to go back in.â Add to that, saliva and digestive enzymes have already broken the food down, stripping it of flavor and making it taste bitter, sour, and lifeless. Vomit is your bodyâs way of saying, âThis has no more goodness leftâweâre sending this back upâŠdonât send it back down.âWhen you think about it, food is really just stored energy âĄ. By the time itâs vomit, itâs spent energyâthereâs nothing good left in it. So when a fool goes back to his or her folly, itâs like trying to draw nourishment from something already emptied out.đ«For Shame! Not.Understand, this isnât God trying to shame you, humiliate you, or make you feel like garbageđïž. Religion sometimes leans into verses just like this to spotlight failure, but thatâs not the best use of this verse. This is about clarity: folly or what weâd call toxic choicesânever leave you nourished. They never truly refresh. Going back to a toxic choice is as unproductiveâand as grossâas a human watching a dog eat its vomit.Hereâs the good news đ: Youâre not built that way, and youâre not bound to repeat toxic choices. You can break cycles. You donât have to settle for nastiness. God gives you fresh bread dailyđânew mercies, new wisdom, new strength.So Hereâs the Point:Donât settle for yesterdayâs vomit when todayâs table is set for you.PrayerLord, keep me from old mess; feed me fresh wisdom.Todayâs ChallengeChoose one âfresh foodâ habit todayâsomething measurable. đ¶ Replace scrolling with a 10-minute walk. đŹ Replace gossip with a text of encouragement. đ§ Replace junk food with a glass of water and a piece of fruit . Feed yourself wiselyâdonât recycle vomit.About the AuthorFred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what heâs up to nowâŠclick here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynchđ±Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone?Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app âor just click that Subscribe button right now!Be Wise and Be Well...peace.Thanks for reading Proverbs Daily! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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