Just a Little

1 Dead flies make a perfumer's oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Ecclesiastes 10:1

It takes little to ruin something good.

The Teacher paints a powerful picture: a jar of expensive, carefully prepared perfume completely ruined by a few dead flies.

A solid reputation takes years to build, yet a single careless comment or a sarcastic snap can unravel it in seconds.

I’m quick to excuse my slip-ups. It was just a joke. I didn't mean anything by it. They'll forget by tomorrow.

But the person on the receiving end rarely forgets.

We are told that "a little folly" outweighs wisdom. I wonder how often I brush off my mistakes as “little” to avoid facing the sting of what I did.

A dead fly is tiny, but the damage it causes isn't.

Father, catch me before I excuse my own foolishness. Open my eyes to the true weight of my words, and give me the humility to make things right when I leave a mark.