. He enjoyed his birthday
and was constantly using his April Fool designation as an
excuse to play the “trickster” all year long. You never knew what he was
planning or when you would end up being the target of one of his pranks
or practical jokes. I was probably 12 years old (and still playing the role of
the fool) before I realized that Colonel Sanders didn’t really steal his
famous chicken recipe from my father!
We have all played the fool at one time or another in our lives; sometimes
because of a practical joke or perhaps because of our own bumbling. And
if you have a sense of humor and have the ability to laugh at yourself;
well, being a fool once in a while doesn’t really do any long term damage.
Unless, of course you play a fool as the Bible defines a fool. Then, I think,
it is a little more serious.
Jesus speaks of the foolish bridesmaids that do not plan ahead and run
out of oil and miss the coming of the bridegroom. The 5 foolish bridesmaids
missed the party. He speaks of the foolish man who built his house
on sand and it was washed away because it had no firm foundation. Jesus
tells the parable about the foolish man who tore down his barns to build
bigger barns so he could store more of his valuable stuff. “All that stuff
will not add a second to your life, you fool.” God declares, “What a waste
of your time and effort. You should be gathering treasures for heaven.”
The book of Proverbs tells us, “whoever spreads slander is a fool” – “the
way of a fool seems right to him” – “a fool repeats his folly” – every fool is
quick to quarrel” and “he who trusts in himself is a fool.”
But I think that the Psalmist sums it up best in Psalm 14 when he writes:
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
There is no one who does good.
You do not want to be that kind of a fool!
As we continue our self-examination and reflection during this season of Lent, I encourage
you to see if you are playing the “fool” as described by Scripture. Are you building your
house on the Rock instead of the sand? Is acquiring more “stuff” taking precedence over
our call to serve and love? And are we standing at the ready for the arrival of the bridegroom?
If we must play the fool, then my prayer is that we do as Paul instructed and become one of
the “fools for Christ” in that we make Jesus the beginning, the center, and the end of our
foolishness.
