Darkness Had a Head Start

Proverbs 7:9“In the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.”Look at this young man.He has no apparent destination, no business to handle and nobody asked him to come outside. But here he goes—walking near the wrong corner at precisely the wrong hour.Young man…young blood…baby boy…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?He’s outside! And looking for a little novelty, a little excitement, maybe just enough danger to make the evening interesting.And danger says, “Oh, you came looking for me? How convenient!”The passage reveals an elder watching this whole scenario unfold and gives us the context that the scene doesn’t begin with the woman or her invitation. The scene behind this scene…is the young man’s determined direction, location and timing.Before the ‘lady of the night’ ever said a word, baby boy already made several decisions that brought him within tragic reach.Proverbs 7:9 says:“In the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.”Notice the progression: twilight, evening, night, darkness.Don’t you realize that it didn’t suddenly become dark? The light disappeared gradually—and this young man kept walking as it did.Hey new school…cousin…listen: darkness did not sneak up on you. You watched it as it happened all around you!That’s the caution inside this whole story. Temptation often gains leverage before it ever introduces itself.It begins when we repeatedly place ourselves where our judgment grows weaker…our vulnerability grows stronger.Before temptation ever spoke, this young man had already given darkness home-field advantage!That doesn’t mean everything bad that happens to us is our own fault. People can be deceived, exploited and harmed through no choice of their own. Proverbs isn’t giving us permission to blame or become victims.It is teaching us to recognize the choices we can make before danger gets close. Sometimes wisdom is not merely knowing how to say no when temptation speaks.Wisdom is knowing which street not to walk down, which conversation not to reopen and which lonely hour is not the time to test your strength.August seventh is National Lighthouse Day.A lighthouse can’t steer your ship, but it can show you where danger is before you reach it. Wisdom does the same.It shines while you still have room to turn.So if something inside you is already whispering, “I probably shouldn’t be here,” don’t wait for darkness to make its full presentation.Young man…my dude…homeboy! Take the hint.Turn while you can still see the road back home.🔥 REMEMBERTemptation gains leverage when darkness gets home-field advantage.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, keep my feet in light and my choices wise.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEIdentify one situation where your timing or location weakens your judgment. Make one practical change today—leave earlier, change the route or avoid the corner altogether.About the AuthorFred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch📱 Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone?Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app or just click that Subscribe button right now! Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe