Well, the nest is officially empty. Yesterday, we moved Cameron into the second oldest dorm on Tarleton’s campus. He will call Bender 110 his home from now until May. He shares the spacious 10×16 space with Jeff from Dallas. They were welcomed by a lovely set of twin bunk beds, but thanks to the boys’ brute strength and my clever furniture placement, we separated the beds, and Cameron got a bed with a view. McDonald’s is directly across the street!
Since every wall in the room is made of concrete blocks, we were a tad limited in what we could do. Despite my diva decorating skills, Cameron ended up with just two essentials on the wall – a calendar/bulletin board and a picture of our family. We hung both directly above his desk as good reminders of what’s important.
As Brad and I got ready to leave, I got the best hug from my boy! He was wearing his big Cam grin, and I told him what I wanted him to know most . . . I love you! Brad had special words for Cam, too. And, I quote, “If you run with dogs, you’re gonna get fleas.” Cam immediately cracked up laughing! And, I was speechless. I don’t why I was surprised. It was classic Brad!
And, it was perfect advice. Not just for Cam, but for all of us. Proverbs 13:20 NLT says it a little more eloquently than Brad, but essentially shares the same wisdom, “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Am I walking with the wise or am I at risk for fleas? Am I spending as much time reading God’s Word as I spend reading Facebook? Am I praying for friends who are in need or am I passing on hurtful gossip about their problems? Am I building up and encouraging those around me or am I more worried about making myself look better? Am I lending a helping hand to the real needs in my community or am I entertaining myself with hours of reality TV shows? Am I tithing to help further God’s kingdom or am I spending my money building my own?
These are tough questions, and sometimes I don’t like the answers or what they say about me. When I find myself in that situation, I have two choices. I can choose to keep scratching my fleas, making excuses, and rationalizing my choices . . . or I can choose to chase after God with all my heart?
I’m way past college and dorm rooms, but I pray every day I will walk with the wise.