5:9 – Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one;
5:10 – Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, and you labors go to the house of a foreigner;
5:11 – And you mourn at last, when your flesh and your body are consumed.
Recently, I was working with a group of executives, and we were talking about goal obsession.
While being “goal-focused” is a key component of success, I’m reminded of a conversation a friend of mine had with a three-star general.
After standing in line to get advice from this successful military man, my friend asked him one question:
“General, was it worth it?”
His response? “No, it wasn’t. I sacrificed my family on the altar of my career. I’d be much happier as a Lieutenant Colonel, if I still had my wife and my kids with me.”
Proverbs 5 is usually seen as a warning against sexual relationships outside of marriage, because the “immoral woman” drains the emotion and vitality from our most important relationships.
Couldn’t it also be about our relationship to anything, or anyone, that takes precedence over our God and our family relationships?
