Just Do Nothing, and You’ll Ruin Everything

As a general rule, I try not to yell at my children. But there are rare circumstances when I find myself with no other option.

One of those times occurred at the end of a summer picnic at a friend’s house. In the process of gathering our gear, we lost track of our two-and-a-half-year-old twins. Unbeknownst to us, they had overheard that we were leaving and had run around to the front of the house and across the street to our van. They were quite proud of their speedy preparation for our imminent departure.

When I finally realized where they were, I ran out front to check on their safety. They saw me coming and began to re-cross the street, until I screamed, “STOP!” just before the next car sped by. Terrified by my uncharacteristic loudness and tone, both boys started crying. It took a while to calm them down, but it was worth it to have them unharmed.

In this section of Proverbs, wisdom is pictured as a woman who shouts at us on the street. It’s easy to be offended by her rebuke, but it’s really in our best interest. Her wisdom is readily available (Prov 1:20-21, see below), but we choose to ignore it because we love being simple (Prov 1:22-23). In making this choice, we willfully reject God’s plan for change and replace it with the bitter fruit of deception (Prov 1:24-28) and desire (Prov 1:29-31). In the end, our own complacency destroys us, unless we listen (Prov 1:32-33).

Wisdom is Available

Do you feel like you can’t change? Wisdom is available!

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
In the markets she raises her voice;
At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the city gates she speaks.” (Prov 1:20-21)

It doesn’t get any more public than this. Wisdom cries “in the street,” “in the markets,” “at the head of the noisy streets,” and “at the entrance of the city gates.” If there is a place where people might gather, she’s there.

The point is simple: Wisdom is available. It is everywhere. We think we can’t change. We believe no one understands us. We assume we’re on our own. However, we’re surrounded by people with decent advice on important topics. We have no excuse for remaining immature.

I’m not very handy when it comes to mechanical things. I’m much happier with a book and a bar of chocolate than with a hammer and a workbench. So when my wife informed me one evening that the pilot light on our gas oven had gone out and dinner was going to be late, I panicked. Upon recovering my senses, however, I remembered that wisdom on such matters is readily available. So I whipped out YouTube, searched for videos on “gas oven pilot light,” and found the instruction I desperately needed. I’m happy to announce that nothing blew up that night, and all were warm and well-fed.

What does this principle look like on a larger scale? We know that wisdom involves much more than just learning how to ignite a pilot light. If wisdom, as we concluded before, is ultimately a continual striving to know and do what the Bible says, and wisdom is readily available to us, then we have no one to blame but ourselves if we fail to honor the Lord. It’s not my parents’ fault for raising me this way. It’s not my pastor’s fault for not taking more of an interest in me. It’s not my spouse’s fault for making me angry. It’s not the Lord’s fault for putting me in this situation.

The Lord “has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). He’s just waiting for us to turn to him, and he will pour out these resources on us (Prov 1:23). We have books, sermons, and role models right at our fingertips. If we can’t find wisdom, we’re probably just not looking.

This post was first published in 2012.