Conduct Reveals Character
Today has been a bit of a “strange” day for me. I was surprised by my lack of energy and degree of fatigue. I’m not quite sure how to assess that. I have made changes to some of my medications and my activity is beginning to change. This seems all part of determining my “new” normal as I anticipate getting back to my “old” normal in many ways and in other ways, not so much.
This evening we had dinner with a distant cousin of mine who moved into our neighborhood, Tim and Kathy Neal. Kathy and I share the same great-grandparents. He mother Ruth Creamer, is a first cousin to my father and has been an encouragement to my political campaigns in the past. It was good to have that Nebraska connection to my Summers family heritage. Tim and Kathy’s daughter Kara, is an attorney living in Fort Collins. A few years ago, when she was doing an internship in Denver for a Federal Judge, she came to visit me at the State Capitol. She and her husband JT have an 19 month old son, Charlie. (I am pictured with the four generations of Ruth’s family.)
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Any who love knowledge want to be told when they are wrong. It is stupid to hate being corrected.” Proverbs 12:1
In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “stupid is, as stupid does.” It seems that King Solomon would agree. What he is referring to is not intellectual abilities, but behaviors that reveal a corrupt character. Matlock (the attoney show from the 80’s) was defending a wealthy man; as he questioned him about the charges against him, the man retorted, “you don’t think I became wealthy by being stupid!” Matlock just shrugged his shoulders and calmly said, “you never know.”
As I have been reading through the Good News Bible translation, I noticed that what most translation refer to as being a “fool” this translation calls the behavior “stupid.” As we consider walking in wisdom, instead of acting “stupid” what are the defining behaviors that contrast these two?
The “Stupid” …hate being corrected (Prov. 12:2); are looked down on (Prov. 12:8) they waste time on useless projects (Prov. 12:11); they think they are always right (Prov. 12:15) they advertise their ignorance (Prov. 12:23) [I think this is the basis for my proverb that says, “it is better to remain quiet and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”] Stupid people refuse to turn away from evil (Prov. 13:19); they have a hot temper (Prov. 14:29); they are careless and act too quickly (Prov. 14:16). You will find over 30 descriptions of the person whose actions are referred to as “stupid” in the book of Proverbs. Solomon warning that best summarizes his assessment of the “stupid” are, “if you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.” (Prov. 13:20)
The book of Proverbs is a call to “wise” living. The actions and attitudes of our life reveal those who are wise as well as those who act stupidly. Pretty much where you find an observation about a “stupid” action or attitude you find a contrasting one that describes the “wise.”
The wise love knowledge and want to know when they are wrong (Prov. 12:1); the wise are praised by others (Prov. 12:8); they are diligent and make good use of time (Prov. 12:9,11); they have stability and get themselves out of trouble, they listen to advice and know to ignore an insult (Prov. 12:11-16) The wise think before they act (Prov. 13:16); They understand that you become wise by keeping company with those who are wise (Prov. 13:20)
Proverbs contains at least 60 references to being “wise” or the characteristics of wisdom. Perhaps one of the best and most foundational is Proverbs 9:10 “To be wise you must first have reverence for the Lord. If you know the Holy One, you have understanding.”
All that we need for a happy and fulfilling life is found in putting the Lord first in our life. Trying to be “wise” in our own effort or by that which comes from a “worldly” view of life will fail; wisdom that is based in reverence for the Lord and knowledge from His Word can be counted on as steadfast and true. While conduct reveals our character, our character will determine our conduct. We need the Lord’s help in shaping the character of our life.
(A good exercise for a teen, young adult as well as adults would be to list side by side what Proverbs says about being “wise” and being a “fool” or “stupid.”)