Sweet Talk

(Proverbs 24:13 KJV)  My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

I am a cheapskate, a skinflint, a tightwad.  It is my nature to look for the lowest price.  I want what is on sale.  I eat off the Dollar Menu.  That can be a healthy trait that we could call “thrifty” if we are in a good mood but, in reality, “cheap” is a better description.  As I read this verse it jumps out and stares me in the eye.  It dares me to make something of it. 

This is a wake-up call to enjoy the quality that is available in life.  If I can only afford to shop at the 99 Cent Store, then well and good.  I should feel no guilt.  At the same time I think I can find honey on those shelves.  This is a reminder that there is no glory in eating instant, generic oatmeal if the thick cut that requires 10 minutes to cook is available.  Eating garbage is not a virtue.  Of course the opposite extreme of gluttony is not good either.  Consider the next chapter,

(Proverbs 25:16 KJV)  Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

So?  I will always squirrel away spare change and have a secret stash.  What I need to understand is that if I can afford the good coffee, then I am free to enjoy the good coffee.  If I can afford quality tools, buy quality tools.  God is not the enemy of quality.  Often that is the best stewardship.