Ever felt like the fool the book of Proverbs is always referring to"?
Funny but not funny.
I was reading the book of Proverbs 12:15 this morning and immediately felt like the fool referred to here.
'The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.'
I wanted to close my Bible and just keep it aside because I had just been hit, and hit real good. My ego did not like it. God's word has a way of doing that—telling you the hard truth.
Two days ago, my husband and I had a heated argument. (One I wouldn't like to disclose the details). He was trying so hard to show me reasons, wanting me to see it from another perspective, telling me to think about it logically and not emotionally. I don't like it when he tells me that.
I let my emotions cloud my judgment and wanted to win this one. I knew somewhere deep down that he had a point; I knew he’s not against me, but my pride had taken over. And you know what Proverbs says about pride, right?
"When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2)
I don’t know about you, but I have found Proverbs to be one of the most brutally honest books in the Bible and one of my favorites as well. It doesn’t sugarcoat anything at all. It just gives you "gbas gbos" like we say in common Nigerian parlance. It hits you hard in the face with the truth.
In that moment, I had picked foolishness over good counsel. Not because I didn’t know better, but because I let my emotions get in the way. And isn’t that what we do sometimes? We know what's right, let pride get in the way, refuse to admit our wrong, and sometimes just in a bid to not say "I'm sorry."
This morning, though, God lovingly pointed me to the truth from Proverbs 12:15. I thought I was defending my point, but I was actually defending my pride.Sometimes, God uses moments like this to humble us—not to shame us, but to teach us and to grow us.
So today, I’m choosing better. I’m choosing wisdom. I’m choosing to listen to counsel. I'm choosing to go say to my husband, "You were right, and I'm sorry."
To anyone who feels like the fool Proverbs keeps talking about—welcome to the club😂. Your ego surely will not like it, but I hope you embrace it. It's a club where you'll find grace and where you'll make progress, for every fool that humbles themselves and harkens to counsel will become wise.
Keep making progress, and harken to counsel, my friend.
Thank you for reading through. 🤗
First image; screenshot of my bible app
Second image; a picture of my bible
