Many lives are not ruined by a lifetime of decisions.
They are changed by three unguarded minutes when temptation speaks—and clear thinking leaves the room.
A sound mind is supported by several powerful companions:
A clear conscience.
Freedom from concealed guilt.
Logic.
Reason.
Common sense.
Intuition.
Together, they help a person decide what action to take—and what result that action is likely to produce.
Doubt this?
Reverse the process and test it.
Remove logic.
Ignore reason.
Silence common sense.
Pervert the conscience.
Treat every impulse as intuition.
What remains?
Confusion, excuses, consequences and somebody eventually asking:
“What was I thinking?”
Reality proves the point.
We have been given the magnificent gift of a mind capable of clear thought.
Appreciate it.
Exercise it.
Use it to accomplish good for yourself and others.
WORTHY NOTE
Your existence is a gift.
One way to demonstrate appreciation is to LIVE—not merely exist.
Living is existence with legs.
It receives the gift, puts it into motion and gives something back to the GIFTOR!
CHARACTER
Character is another invisible gift formed within the hearts of men and women who remain true to what is right.
They choose:
Ethics.
Morals.
Honesty.
Sound thinking.
Righteousness.
They occasionally suffer because of those choices, but they understand that the things of greatest value—the real coins of this earthly realm—are not always material.
Character is stored in the invisible world.
So are peace, calmness, credibility and clear thinking.
Do not bargain these treasures away for something cheaper.
Temptation may offer immediate gain.
Complacency may offer temporary comfort.
Neither can replace the peace surrendered to obtain them.
WORTHY NOTE:
Everything visible first existed in some invisible form—as thought, purpose, possibility or design—before being revealed.
STANDARDS ARE MORE THAN A WORD
During my counseling work, I interviewed people in jail.
Nobody liked being there.
Everybody wanted out.
Many shared one regret:
They wished they could replay the final few minutes before whatever foolishness brought them there.
Three minutes.
Sometimes less.
One decision.
One reaction.
One surrender to anger, greed, fear, pride, desperation or temptation.
The jail becomes one giant pot of regret.
Was the regret about doing wrong—or merely getting caught?
Who can say?
But whatever bait was offered was not worth the hook attached to it.
WORTHY NOTE:
“That will never happen to me.”
Famous last words spoken by someone it eventually happened to.
THE THREE-MINUTE RULE
Before making a decision that could damage your character, freedom, relationship, health or future, give clear thinking three minutes to report for duty.
Ask:
What am I about to do?
Why am I doing it?
Who could be harmed?
What could this cost tomorrow?
Would I do it if everyone important to me were watching?
Will I need to hide it afterward?
Does my conscience object?
Three minutes may feel inconvenient.
Years of regret are far less convenient.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Temptation wants speed.
Wisdom requests time.
Grant the request.
TEMPTATION COMES FIRST
How do we avoid many painful consequences?
Do not enter what you already know you should avoid.
Nothing offered is worth the price when the payment demanded is your character.
Wrongdoing does not always hide.
Often, we recognize it immediately.
Something inside says:
“Do not do this.”
Observe the temptation.
HOLD.
Then say:
“No.”
Do not negotiate.
Do not circle it.
Do not keep looking back to see whether the offer improved.
Walk away.
The tempting counterfeit often appears before the right opportunity.
Refuse what is false, and you remain available for the real deal when it arrives.
THE PAIN OF REFUSING WRONG
Before temptation appears, refusing it seems easy.
While it is standing in front of you, the struggle becomes real.
The more valuable the apparent reward, the stronger the pressure may feel.
Hold your position.
Temptation often arrives like a wave.
It rises.
It presses.
Then it passes—if you do not climb aboard.
WORTHY NOTE:
Hold until it passes.
The reward is more than simply avoiding punishment.
You retain your peace, character, freedom and ability to look at yourself without inventing a story.
THE CONSCIENCE
The conscience is a life compass designed to help keep us from straying.
It frequently speaks less about what we should do and more clearly about:
WHAT NOT TO DO.
It warns when we approach a boundary.
It objects when we cross one.
It may continue troubling us until correction is made.
What an incredible gift:
Hidden within us.
Taking up no physical space.
Demanding no salary.
Given before we knew to ask for it.
But like any compass, it must be read honestly.
WORDLESS PROMPTING
Thinking and conscience are not identical.
Thought may argue.
Emotion may shout.
Desire may negotiate.
Conscience often speaks wordlessly through an inner restraint:
“No.”
“Stop.”
“This is not right.”
Still, not every uncomfortable feeling is automatically conscience. Fear, shame, prejudice and old conditioning can also speak from within.
Test the prompting with:
Truth.
Facts.
Reason.
Compassion.
Righteous principles.
Trusted counsel when needed.
A sound conscience does not fear honest examination.
CAN CONSCIENCE BECOME QUIET?
Repeated wrongdoing may make conscience easier to ignore.
The warning continues, but the person becomes practiced at turning down its volume.
Excuses help.
Blame assists.
Repetition numbs.
Eventually, what once felt clearly wrong begins feeling ordinary.
That does not make it right.
It means the inner boundary has been crossed so often that the footprints have formed a road.
Turn around.
Correction remains available.
Repentance means more than feeling bad.
It means changing direction.
“TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE”
This is not an idle boast.
Being true to yourself does not mean obeying every desire.
It means refusing to betray the highest truth you recognize within yourself.
Honor the conscience by responding when it speaks.
That response sends a wordless message from the heart:
“I am grateful for this guidance.”
Obedience to what is fair, right and true protects the gift by using it.
PEARLS INSIGHT
Clear thinking is not the absence of emotion.
It is the ability to prevent emotion, temptation or urgency from becoming the only voice allowed to vote.
A sound decision invites conscience, logic, truth, consequences and character to the table.
Then it listens before acting.
RICHIE SPEAKS
When temptation says, “Do it now,” place your hand upon the HOLD button.
Three minutes!
Give tomorrow a chance to speak.
Give your family a seat at the table.
Give your freedom a vote.
Give your character time to object.
The people I met in jail did not need another lifetime.
Many of them needed three different minutes.
FINAL SAY
Peace is valuable.
Freedom is valuable.
Character is valuable.
A clear conscience is valuable.
Do not bargain away invisible treasure for visible bait.
Observe.
HOLD.
Think clearly.
Choose rightly.
Then walk forward carrying everything temptation failed to steal.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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