I Pity the Fool

1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
   honor is not fitting for a fool. 

3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
   and a rod for the backs of fools!
6 Sending a message by the hands of a fool
   is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
7 Like the useless legs of one who is lame
   is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
9 Like a thorn bush in a drunkard’s hand
   is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
10 Like an archer who wounds at random
   is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
   so fools repeat their folly.
12 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?
   There is more hope for a fool than for them. – Various verses on fools From Proverbs 26

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 25-26; 2 Corinthians 9

So I was reading Proverbs 26 and I couldn’t help but laugh. I mean seriously… Solomon or whoever wrote this joint goes HARD on fools.

But you know what, it’s necessary. I know this because I have been the fool that he is describing. Fools are people who don’t heed advice. They think that they know everything so they tend to repeat the same mistakes.

Oh come on now, don’t act like I’m the only fool in this conversation. Y’all know that you have been foolish at times. Ok fine, since you may not want to admit it for your own life I’ll give you an example of a time when I was comically foolish. In typical male fashion it involved not following directions.

What made me think about this is that I finally got a desk for my room. Hooray for me! It’s only two years too late. Actually it’s quite amazing that I’ve made it through 300 of these things by writing on my laptop from random tables, sitting on the floor, or laying in my bed. But I digress.

So, today as I was putting together my table I made extra sure to follow the instructions. Sure all I had to do was screw the legs onto the table top but shoot… you never know. Sometimes the easiest tasks make you look the stupidest when you screw them up.

This happened to me a few years ago. I bought a bookshelf from IKEA to provide a humble abode for the only true treasures that I have.

My books… oh how I do love thee…

So the bookshelf was just as easy to put together as any other IKEA product. The process was just a bit longer as it had several parts that needed to be hammered and screwed together. No biggie. I’ve been putting stuff together for as long as I could remember. Even as a kid my Dad always had me help with such projects.

Simple.

Well I got to the end where I had to attach the top board. At this point I was on auto pilot. I knew where it was supposed to go, how it fit and it was a matter of just nailing in the screws. But I made a mistake… I nailed it in backwards!!!

Sure it still works but the mistake is obvious. I am not lost on the irony that the bookshelf that houses evidence of my intellectual prowess is foolishly flawed in its construction.

See difference in smooth side and rough top finish for my foolishness

We have many things that serve as instruction manuals for our lives. They take the form of loved ones who give sound advice, mentors who have been on the path we want to take, and other folks who have made mistakes that we want to avoid.

We become fools though when we start feeling ourselves a bit too much. We think we know it all and therefore stop seeking the guidance that helped us get to where we are. This is a common reason for why we experience setbacks on the paths of our purpose.

So try to remember not to get too full of yourself. Listen to those folks who have come before you. Do your due diligence. Read and research before you act. Sure you may know some things, but you definitely don’t know it all.

At least I know that I don’t.

Success!