Only simpletons believe everything they are told! The prudent carefully consider their steps. PROVERBS 14:15 (NLT)

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I am a simpleton. Or at least I was yesterday.

John, Gerry, and I are good friends. We are quite close in age and life situation. We share the same occupation in the same region. We are trained in the same coaching and consulting practices. We work together frequently.

Yesterday, John and I drove to Brownwood for the funeral for Gerry’s father. I drove to Weatherford where John lives and picked him up at his office. We arrived at the church around thirty minutes before the service was to begin. We parked in the shade and waited. Around fifteen minutes before the service, no one had arrived. Five minutes later, there was still no one around. I texted Gerry. No reply. We guessed he had turned off his phone for the service.

We drove to another church thinking perhaps we had misunderstood what church Gerry said. No one was there, either. Then we searched local funeral homes for online obituaries. We found Gerry’s dad’s information, but nothing about the funeral service. We began driving to all of the funeral homes in town one by one. Still no luck.

By now, the service scheduled for three o’clock would have been over. We gave up, and like two good Baptist preachers would, we went to eat. I snapped a photo of the restaurant logo and sent it to Gerry with these words: “This is where we are. We have been to all the funeral homes and Methodist churches.”

He replied, “Are you in Brownwood?”

“Yep,” I responded.

“I’m not,” he said. “Because the funeral is next Sunday.”

I am a simpleton. John is too, just for the record.

It’s a long story about how we got the dates mixed up. It’s a short story to note that either one of us could have looked at our calendars and fixed the problem before it started.

A prudent carpenter measures twice before he cuts once. A prudent prosecutor double-checks legal precedent before accepting a deal from a defense attorney. A prudent CPA reviews the work of her coworkers. A prudent military officer ensures all firing coordinates are correct before the big gun goes BOOM.

And a prudent preacher checks his calendar before leaving on an eight-hour odyssey on a Sunday afternoon.

It’s Monday. You are probably tired. You had a busy weekend. You may have been too tired last night to plan for today and this week. Just a thought, but you might want to take a peek at your calendar before you toddle off to work today. Just sayin’. It might be considered Prudent.

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I will carefully consider my steps today.

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Our Father, thank you for a reminder to carefully consider my steps. Here at the beginning of this day and this workweek, show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Amen.