| Dumber Days - article by Joel Hempel - Better safe than sorry.
- Be prepared.
- You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer your life any direction you choose.
These are all words of wisdom. As a dedicated believer in the value of wisdom, I pray my dumber days are behind me. Some people say they have no regrets. They obviously don’t sin. I, on the other hand, have many regrets. For example, back in 2002, when Ephedra, a now illegal weight-loss drug, could be purchased at kiosks, I used it to lose 40 pounds I had let myself gain. It was terrific; the weight melted off practically overnight. But I also gave myself Atrial fibrillation (AFib). So, are my dumber days over? Not a chance. I eat too many carbs and have too little trust in God’s promises. Why am I revealing these dumb things about me? Because I know you can empathize. Like me, I know you have made dumb decisions and foolish mistakes. Scripture offers a wealth of counsel when it comes to wisdom. For starters, there is this: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 9:10). The word fear in Scripture is often interpreted to mean respect. Thus, respecting and honoring God as Creator is wise. But, sometimes fear means fear. That is, one would be foolish not to be afraid of the Almighty and All-Knowing God, who not only loves and forgives, but also has laid out a Way of life he expects and empowers us to live. But biblical wisdom goes much deeper than fear. In Timothy Keller’s devotional book about God’s wisdom, he writes: The logic of the gospel – that you are an underserving sinner and yet an unconditionally loved child of God at the same time – brings a unique combination of humility and confidence that makes you wise in a way nothing else can.1 You and I have made some dumb decisions in the past. But we are not dumb people. We are God’s loved, redeemed, and forgiven people made wise by God’s grace, and recreated to be smart enough to trust God’s Word and, with His strength, live His Way. 1. God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life, Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller, page 28.
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