Proverbs 7 - Perception is Reality

7:6 While I was at the window of my house, looking through the curtain, 7 I saw some naive young men, and one in particular who lacked common sense. 8 He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house. 9 It was at twilight, in the evening, as deep darkness fell. 10 The woman approached him, seductively dressed and sly of heart. 11 She was the brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home. 12 She is often in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner. 13 She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said, 14 “I’ve just made my peace offerings and fulfilled my vows. 15 You’re the one I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are!

Wow! I have often heard (obviously not always applied) the principle, "If you want to understand scripture, you need to try to visualize the scene, put your self in that place". I have read this scripture many times and always taken away that I need to beware of the seductress. But there is much more than that. The thing that stands out to me here is that this man was an easy mark. He was obviously hanging out in the wrong place, with the wrong people, doing wrong things. Solomon looked out his window and saw this man and immediately took him for one with no common sense. The picture that comes to mind for me is Mardi Gras and looking out of the window of a hotel. It is very obvious who the fools are. This scripture states that the woman came out specifically looking for this person, or at least this type of person. We need to make sure we are not perceived this way. Unfortunately, today, perception is often viewed are reality. Sometimes this is just, sometimes not. I would always suggest that we, as Christians, error on the side of caution. We need to always give the perception of a Christ follower