Virtuous: A Devotional for WomenSýnishorn

Foolish vs. Wise

Key Verse:

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands" - Proverbs 14:1

Reading:

When we consider foolishness versus wisdom, it seems silly not to be able to see the difference. For example, imagine someone who's in extreme debt wins 1 million dollars. Instead of paying off their debt, the person goes and buys a Porsche. You'd look at that behavior and say that is a foolish person. However, not every decision has a clear line between foolish and wise.

Proverbs chapters 1-8 speak about the contrast between a woman's foolishness and a woman's wisdom. We can see in the first chapters, the woman is a deceiver. She is trying to allure believers in hopes that they stray from God's path. Now, if there was always a clear line between foolishness and wisdom, there wouldn't be any desirable aspect to this woman's scheme. The world is great at crafting foolishness to appear as wisdom. Have you ever started watching a TV show that's super popular, and in it are little things that you, as a Christian, don't agree with? But the show is really interesting, and there are other good messages in it. So you continue watching despite that little feeling of conviction? Maybe it's not a show but instead a person's words. Have you ever been in a bad situation and gone to a friend for advice? They begin telling you things like "you have every right to be angry," or "they don't deserve your forgiveness," or maybe it's just gossiping. You think to yourself that this isn't honoring to God, but they're a good friend and seem wise, so you listen to them. These are all foolishness wrapped as wisdom because the devil knows how to make sin appealing. That's why we struggle with sin, because if it weren't appealing, then why would we want to sin? When you begin to listen to the foolishness instead of God's wisdom, you start becoming foolish. A foolish woman is manipulative, bitter, creates chaos, and unfaithful. I don't know about you, but when I'm not chasing after God, I see these qualities start popping up in my life.

Wisdom is the complete opposite of this. Have you ever heard someone speak with so much wisdom that you just know they're close to the Lord? I have a friend who is like this, and I remember times when I would start speaking negatively about something and she'd speak wisely about the situation. It would frustrate me because then I would feel like the bad guy, but then I'd look back and realize that she was reflecting Jesus, and I was reflecting foolishness. A wise woman loves others, listens and understands, shows patience, and rejoices even in the bad times. Isn't that the kind of woman you'd like to reflect? God has allowed His daughters to be as such.

I'll admit that I've shown a lot of foolishness in my lifetime. I used to be a very undisciplined woman who desired to be the life of the party. However, I never really felt fulfilled through that. Even though I was having good times and people seemed to like me, I didn't like myself, nor did I feel particularly special to anyone. Eventually, I decided to start being disciplined in my academics and health. I saw a huge shift in my life, how I viewed myself, and how others viewed me. I saw many opportunities open up for me and truly witnessed God working through the discipline and wisdom He gave me. Don't get me wrong, discipline is not in my nature, but it is God's nature, and when I go to Him and ask for it, He listens.

Foolishness isn't always obvious; many times, we look back on our past and realize decisions we thought were wise were truly foolish. When you draw close to God and not only ask for His wisdom but truly try to walk in it, that is when you'll find discretion. Don't fall for the world's foolishness wrapped as wisdom. If you need guidance about whether something is wise, ask God for discretion and the eyes to see, and He will answer.

Reflection:

1. Fool or Wise? Are there areas in your life where you've chosen foolishness over wisdom?
2. World's Deception: What foolish things has the world deceived you into believing are wise?
3. Becoming Wise: How can you change your foolish ways and begin living in God's wisdom?

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the wisdom You give us and for saving us from the foolish ways of the world. I pray that You will be with these women as they use Your discretion to maneuver the craftiness of the world. I ask You to help shape us into wise women who honor you with all of our decisions. In Jesus' name, Amen.