- late night outings
- taking risks
- hanging out with boys
- going on adventures
- playing "What are the Odds?"
- putting on make-up, dressing up, and feeling pretty
- eating a whole pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream (in one sitting)
- driving (a little too) fast with the windows rolled down
- the thrill of a storm
What do all of these things have in common? All of these things are typically done fearlessly. To me, fearless means not being afraid of whatever outcome may come because of an action you take. Can fearlessness be good? Yes! I love hanging out with my boys Ben & Jerry while driving in a storm wearing a dress with the windows rolled down at midnight. And there's nothing at all wrong with that in and of itself. But can the outcome of fearlessness be bad? Oh yeah.
If you're a teenager like me, the last word you probably want to hear is "wisdom." When I think of wisdom, I typically think of an old man sitting on his porch and shaking his finger at a bunch of hoodlums skateboarding down the street with no helmets. Now, is this action in and of itself bad? No, not at all! Could the outcome of this action be bad? Yes! And this is why the old man is shaking his finger. He might have been skateboarding in his younger years without a helmet and he may have fallen and broken his leg. He knows the risks that are present, and that's why he doesn't approve of what the young boys are doing.
Lately I've been realizing how important it is to rely on the Lord (The Wise Old Man) for wisdom and guidance instead of pursuing folly. Folly does not only mean "foolishness", but it's also the word for a "costly ornamental building with no practical purpose." Why would someone build an expensive building that serves no purpose? What is the message this person is trying to get across? It could very possibly be that this person built the extravagant building thinking that it could reflect how extravagant he is. This person could be very prideful of himself and his talents. But like the building the prideful man made, the foolishness inside his heart does not allow him to serve a purpose.
Proverbs 1:7-9 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Before we dig into this verse, let's define what it means to fear the Lord. Usually when you're afraid of something, you run away from it. TBH, I'm not going to run towards a hungry roaring lion chasing after me. But the kind of fear we're talking about here is different.
To fear the Lord is not to run and hide from Him, but rather to draw near to Him.
This is SO important for us as Christians to understand! To fear God is to stand in awe of Him, to revere Him, and to respect Him.The importance of fearing God is emphasized all throughout scripture, especially in the book about wisdom (Proverbs). Hmm... I wonder why that is?! Maybe God is revealing to us that there is a very strong connection between fearing God and being wise...
Proverbs 3:7 says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil." But what does fearing God have to do with not considering ourselves wise? Well, when we think that we are wise in our own eyes, we put ourselves in a position of arrogance and pride. This takes away the humility that is present in our hearts when we rightly fear the Lord. Because of this pride, we lose trust in Him and we distance ourselves from Him because we believe that what we know is greater than what He knows.
Now I hope that you are able to see how tragic it is to consider yourself wise without the Lord. Ultimately, this leads to separation from Christ because we begin to put the trust that belongs in God in ourselves. Without Christ, we may look good and feel good, but we serve no real purpose in this world (just like the folly- the extravagant building).
If you're a non-Christian reading this post, you may feel very offended. And that's okay, because the bible isn't all mushy gushy lovey stuff. It's offensive, strong, real, and true. The fact that God had to send his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, because we were just that sinful, is the most offensive message this world has heard.
But it's the most fearless action ever taken in history.
God knew that most people would reject the gospel and ultimately reject Him. This was the tragedy that was apt to happen, but he took the risk anyway.
And this is the one thing we can boast in.
We are here because of Christ, we breathe because of Christ, we love because of Christ, and we are saved because of Christ.
And because of all these things, we rejoice in Christ.
"'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that I am the Lord, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,' says the Lord."
- Jeremiah 9:23-24
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