Foolishness—what’s a good definition? Since this is one of those mornings with a 4:00 AM wake-up call after an evening that finally ended about 11:30 PM, I am tempted to define foolishness as living a life in which every week usually contains two or three days of 4:00 AM wake-up calls. But the pay-off of those early risings is getting to go home early, like today, or spending fewer nights while visiting several different cities. So, I turn to another definition of foolishness—one that either causes me to shake my head in disbelief or chuckle, if not laugh.
Sometime back a friend sent me a news story from a small town in Texas, Mr. Vernon, where Drummond’s Bar had begun construction on a new building aimed at increasing its business. A local Baptist Church started a campaign of petitions and prayers aimed at blocking the new bar from opening. A week before Drummond’s new building was to open, lightning struck the structure and it burned to the ground.
The church people in town felt a little cocky and a whole lot smug about what had happened until the owner of the bar sued the church, claiming the church was ultimately responsible for the fire destroying the building either through direct or indirect actions or other means. Quickly the church denied all responsibility, arguing that there was no connection between the bar’s destruction and the church’s action.
In court, after the judge looked over the paperwork on the case, the bewildered officer of the court commented, “I don’t know how I’m going to decide this, but it appears . . . we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer and an entire church congregation that does not!”
Prayer
O God, help us to distinguish between what the apostle Paul meant when he identified us as “fools for Christ” and what we are doing when we behave in a manner that is simply foolish. The former is a consequence of spiritual fidelity and the other is only an indication of personal or congregational stupidity. Grant us the wisdom to know the difference between those two lest we embarrass you as well as ourselves. Amen
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