WHERE DO FOOLS GO WRONG

"A fool hath said in his heart there is no God." The question is answered in that verse for the non-believer, but for Christians the answer would be from the first step away from the Lord. At one time the believers were not saved and hated God, and since no one was born without sin, we all started out as fools. Unfortunately, the Christian still has foolish leanings and has a tendency to act without thinking (or praying). Pride, the very sin that brought Satan to his doom, makes us believe that we can do it all; we are the king of our life and do not need help from anyone or anything - especially God. Isn't that how the world raises its children - teaching them to have pride in their accomplishments and build their self-esteem with praise, no matter how undeserved? By the time they graduate from college their subconscious mind has been reinforced to believe that to make it in the business world it is ok to cheat and lie in order to climb to the top no matter who they destroy in the process.

If I were a psychologist, I could blame the parents, the teachers, or their peers for damaging the child's self-esteem, causing a child to make poor choices and possibly end up as an addict or in a life of crime. The parents and the teachers that build a child's self-esteem would be equally to blame at the other end of the spectrum because the child grows up thinking he or she is invincible. However, the blame ultimately lies with the child and the choices they make growing up. I realize that children are foolish and they are going to try to get away with things, but that is because of the sin nature, and parents need to discipline them. When a child is allowed to do things that he or she shouldn't and are not punished for those wrongs, the child is stepping away from God and stepping further into sin. Each foolish choice becomes easier and easier and the right choices become harder and harder. It is a learned behavior and the more they get away with bad choices, their pride grows and their self-esteem builds. By the time they are in their teens, they believe that all their choices are good choices and will lead them to their goal of riches, power, love and respect. Without some type of consequences for wrong choices, they will keep going on the same downward path.

Many adults cannot make the right choices or fight compulsive urges simply because they were not taught to do so in their upbringing. Then there are the rest of us who were taught the right way to live, how to make the right choices, how to put God first and respect others. Satan will come to us like he did with Eve bringing temptation; he knows our weaknesses and how to make us stumble. We don't always listen to him, but when we do, you can be sure that we will fall into sin so fast we will wonder how we got there; sometimes we may find that there is no way out because the hole we are in is so deep. Thus, we have gone the way of the fool and not the way of the wise by yielding to our own lusts and pride.

Every once in awhile we see someone who has fought the odds, someone who was very poor, their parents were addicts in one form or another; maybe one or both ended up in jail. The child has had to fight his or her whole life to get an education and stay away from the bad influences. They studied and earned scholarships, and after college became leaders in their community. Something inside them fought to make the right choices, not that they weren't tempted many times, but they kept focused on their goals and achieved them. A Christian needs to remember to focus on the things of the Lord and when temptations come, they will not be so easily swayed, many of us lack the will to do so and it is usually because we have strayed from the Word and/or have become lax in our worship. Each day we neglect the Word or prayer & worship is another step away and it becomes harder and harder for us to get back on the path.

I think that it is harder, sometimes, for a person (whether Christian or not) that has had an easy life to slip and make the wrong choices because they have never had to fight for what they wanted and took the easy road. Some of us are so used to having anything we want, that we do not even try to be moral or honest. You see this happening in the lives of politicians, businessmen/women, and the rich and famous; unfortunately it is becoming more and more commonplace in every walk of life. Even Christians are caught up in the self-gratification lifestyle and do not think of the consequences before they act on an idea. We are constantly bombarded with the "you are worth it" attitude and everything we might want is within reach by the swiping of a credit card and 72 easy payments.

Before ruined lives became so common, we would look at the bums lying in the gutter with either pity or distain not even wondering how they arrived in that position. Now, we just have to look next door, at our friends or our own family and we begin to see how easy it is for bad choices to ruin a life. It is almost without warning, we jump into the fire and are taken away by our lusts and greed. Of course we think we will get away with whatever it is that we have fallen into; we might be able to fool our family, our friends, and even ourselves; but God sees all and He says, "Be sure that your sin will find you out."

The heartache caused by an affair, a few drinks, lies, or some words spoken in haste have destroyed homes, friendships, and lives. There are never enough words or repentant sorrow to make up for the damage that was done; it is often too late to mend the broken lives. If we think we are getting away with something, we are only fooling ourselves and end up falling headlong into a pit of despair. We are living a lie and with each day the lie gets bigger until it finally bursts to destroy us like a bomb planted inside our very soul; the destruction of all involved is inevitable.

The Bible says that no one can tame the tongue, it also says out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks; I am paraphrasing to show that if our heart is not right with the Lord, there is no way that we can make good choices. Even if your heart is right with the Lord, your tongue can still spew poison, tell lies, flatter for self-gain, boast and slander if you are not constantly living for and trusting in the Lord. It is always easier to hurt family and friends than it is anyone else. If you are born again, Jesus is family and we are guilty of hurting Him every time we say or do something foolish.

It is heartbreaking to see your child (or spouse) go into a life of alcoholism or drug use; even though you try to get them help, often they do not come out of it. They will call when they are in trouble or need money, but until we say no, we are enablers and just prolong their suffering and ours. We choose to remember them as they were before and not as a junkie or drunk lying in the street or sitting in jail. We are helpless fix them and our pleading falls on deaf ears; somehow the more we try seems to make the situation grow worse. Praying for them to heal, praying for their safety, and above all praying for their salvation are the things that give us comfort and peace, knowing that the Lord will help them because He cares and loves them more than we ever could.

During my life I have done many foolish things, mostly when I was young and before I became a Christian. I had a praying mother and; therefore, many of the consequences of my actions were avoided.

I should have died a few times, been sent to jail a couple of times, and at the very least should have had more spankings growing up. However, for me those were probably not good results - except for not dying - because I really did not learn from my actions which made my Christian life riddled with stupid mistakes that could have been avoided had I learned anything at all before my salvation.

We have an amazing God and I am living proof that he protects His children when they do foolish things. Of course before our salvation, He still sees us as His and keeps us safe until we make that decision; after all, He knew us before the foundation of the world, and will not let any of those that will later accept Him slip out of His hand. I remain confused as to why He allowed me in His family at all, let alone that He stands by watching me dig myself into holes that I can never get out of without smacking me. Actually, I am not confused at the latter statement; I know He is waiting for me to let Him pull me out without my interference, and He does not ever force me to submit to His will. He is teaching me to have a hearing heart, to listen for His gentle voice, but I am not a quick learner. Sometimes I go so far as to ask Him why He gave me a brain at all because I certainly am not using it. Or eyes to see, or ears to hear, or a tongue to speak; all of those senses don't seem to be much help and I feel like a speeding train on a track that ends at the edge of a cliff.

The one thing I have learned in my 66 1/2 years is to have a heart that loves the foolish. My heart breaks for them because they once started out life with a potential to greatness and by taking one or two steps away, life led them on a completely different path of self-destruction that cannot ever be fixed without the Lord stepping in, taking them by the hand and leading them. God is the only one capable of repairing the foolish heart and He only will repair the hearts of those that will let Him do so.

When you look at the adulterous politician or the embezzler, the murderer, the prostitute or the drunk lying in the street; see the lost soul that once had the potential of greatness but lost their way by one or two foolish mistakes early in life and never stepped back on the right track. None of us are exempt from being a fool, but we can avoid being one if we stay safe in the Lord's hand; it is when we lean on ourselves, and not on Him, that we take that first step away to become a fool.