Praestat Cautela Quam Medela

Don’t let the Latin title scare you away. It just happens to align quite well with the subject under consideration. It articulates an idea that most folks are at least vaguely aware of—it means: “Prevention is better than cure.”

This principle is applicable in myriad situations. In the U.S. Navy, for example, maintenance is largely divided into two major categories: preventive and corrective. Massive and technologically complex warships obviously require a lot of work to keep running. When the components of various mechanical and electrical systems on board break, it takes a great deal of time, money, and effort to fix them. Thus, we do preventive maintenance to preclude them breaking in the first place, significantly cutting down on the effort, money, and time spent keeping them running.

In medicine, it is far more preferable to prevent disease or injury in the first place than to undergo treatment or surgery after the damage is done. For a car, it is far better to keep up with oil changes than to let the oil become so viscous that the engine seizes up, overheats, and completely fails—then necessitating replacement of the engine, which is likely to cost thousands of dollars.

Other phrases more common than the Latin one express the same idea. “Nip it in the bud” (take care of an issue early before it becomes a bigger problem); “Be proactive rather than reactive”; “Don’t let wounds fester”; et cetera. This has all been referring to the secular so far. What does the Bible have to say on the matter?

A Biblical Principle

There’s a verse that says almost exactly the same thing, though it applies specifically to social interaction. “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore, stop contention before a quarrel starts” (Pro. 17:14). Trying to get water that spilled on the ground back in its bottle is akin to squeezing a camel through the eye of a needle. So, it’s far better to do everything you can to not spill it to begin with. Put in other words, this verse is saying that in speaking to strangers, friends, or enemies, it’s in everyone’s interest to de-escalate tension so that conflict doesn’t occur.

Many of the ideas in the book of Proverbs are often repeated with different nuances; 17:14 is no exception. “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Pro. 15:1). Avoiding unnecessary conflict by being kind and level-headed prevents a person from burning the proverbial bridge behind him in the first place and avoids the far more difficult corrective task of rebuilding the bridge after it’s burned. Rebuilding the bridge is far more difficult. Another verse expresses that idea as well: “A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle” (Pro. 18:19).

There is relevance with regard to work and money, too. Proverbs 6:6-8 speaks of the ant, working in the summer to provide for herself later on. Most folks will work a tedious job at some point in their life. Even though it’s not enjoyable, we do so to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. That’s preventive in its nature as well. Rather than being lazy and ending up in poverty, we work to prevent poverty and starvation.

He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame (Pro. 10:4-5).

Proverbs 14:4 is an interesting verse, carrying with it a slightly different idea, but one that’s still related to this topic. It reads, “Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox.” Taking care of an ox requires a lot of work—feeding it, building its corral/barn, and cleaning up after it—but having one enables a farmer to accomplish a lot of work that would otherwise take much longer with the strength of his back alone.

This is applicable to more than just farming, though. This verse is in essence saying to practice cost/benefit analysis. For a more modern example, someone might have the following train of thought: “This new truck would enable me to get more work done, but is it worth the cost of maintenance and insurance?” For a church related example, a congregation might say, “This prospective associate preacher might be helpful, but can we afford to pay him?” Fortunately, for a certain someone (the author), they decided positively in that regard.

Children and Prevention

Though raising kids is not often spoken of using these terms, it also requires a great deal of maintenance—and it is unquestionably better to engage in preventive corrective work when it comes to child rearing. Most readers will be aware of the very pervasive stigma against physical discipline of children in Western societies. There is a grossly erroneous view that such discipline as spanking is old-fashioned and even barbaric—and that children should only ever be corrected gently with words, if they’re corrected at all. Most readers will also be aware that children who grow up raised by such a standard will often be immature, entitled brats who continue to be so into adulthood.

This view is fundamentally flawed because it deems love and gentleness synonyms, which they most certainly are not. Much to the contrary, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Pro. 13:24). Not only is proper discipline necessarily undertaken out of love, neglecting to administer it is necessarily an expression of hatred. “Oh, but I love my kid too much to do something so mean as spanking,” says the clueless helicopter parent. No, you hate them too much to spank them.

All astute parents want their children to grow up to be capable of living independently; they must, therefore, be able to behave properly in any social circumstance. Christian parents, even more importantly, want their kids to grow up to love and respect God. The only way to accomplish these goals is to discipline them when it is necessary. Some children don’t need much correction while some require a lot. It is up to the parent to understand when and to what degree discipline must be carried out.

As mentioned earlier, some children reach adulthood without being corrected as they should have been in their younger years. By the time they become teenagers, it is extremely difficult to correct their behavior. In this, the advantage of preventive over corrective measures is seen. Notice the last word in Proverbs 13:24—promptly. Bad behavior must be corrected as soon as possible in order to steer children in the right direction. If a parent neglects to correct them in a timely manner, then the child will logically take their parents’ inaction as approval. That will build over time as they are taught over many years that disobedience and selfishness are fine and aren’t at all a problem since no action is being taken to counter such characteristics. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pro. 22:6). Additional emphasis is given on this subject in Proverbs 22:15, 23:13-14, and Ephesians 6:4. The repetition of this principle indicates its great importance. Time must be spent early in a child’s life, preventing small misbehavior from becoming larger, ingrained, and thus nigh insurmountable later on.

Proverbs 20:11 also ties into raising kids, but more broadly concerns one’s reputation: “Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.” Don’t most parents want other people to like their kids? Teach them to behave and others will notice their maturity.

Reputation

A similar question can be asked of adults: Don’t you want other people to like and respect you? Do what is good and right, and your reputation will be favorable among people who are concerned with what is good and right. “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Pro. 22:1). As with all the previous topics, a reputation is far easier to maintain by small and early adjustments rather than trying to rebuild it after it has crashed and burned. You must give attention to what you say and do in front of friends, family, colleagues, and strangers—not merely to get people to like you—but because doing so honors God and may inspire others to honor Him. “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16). Though it is addressed to a young man specifically, it is good for you to

…be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you” (Titus 2:7-8).

Rather than saying or doing something that your enemies can use against you later, it is far better to prevent them from doing so by bridling your tongue and thinking before you act. Once you’ve said or done something wrong in public, even if you repent, some people are going to bring it up in order to discredit you and tear down your reputation. It’s far harder to recover from reputational damage after it's already done than to just not present the opportunity for damage in the first place.

Keeping your conscience clear is more than just a cliché—it is of eternal importance. If the integrity of your conscience is maintained, it is far easier to choose good over evil when that choice presents itself.

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence (Pro. 4:14-17).

Don’t even begin to walk on the wicked path, nor associate with those who do, because you will slowly become more and more willing to accept sin, until you lose sleep because your desire for evil isn’t satisfied. Just like trying to correct a son or daughter in their twenties when they have never been disciplined in their lives, trying to heal a conscience that’s become callous is colossally difficult.

Many of the physical blessings God has given us benefit from this principle being applied—houses, gardens, cars, computers, etc. Consider also the soul that our Creator has endowed each of us with. If you’re willing to give the mundane parts of life the constant maintenance they need, how much more should you reasonably give to your eternal soul? Use preventive techniques.