Wow - I can't believe it's been a year and a half since I wrote last. What does that say about my life?? Or what does it say about me - maybe I'm just lazy. Either way, I'm not good at the blogging thing, so I'll probably just be adding as something comes up. Frankly, I put most of my interesting stuff on Facebook, so...yeah.
I went to work out this morning and walked by my neighbor's car. I walk/drive by this car all the time, and always spend some time looking over their bumper stickers. I've seen them all and I know what they say...things like "Protect our children - kill a Pedophile" and "Coexist" written in all the different religious symbols. Then there's this gem: "Don't pray in my school and I won't think in your church". Wow. Again, I've read it before, but this morning, it really irked me.
Is this person implying that because I profess faith in Jesus Christ, I am somehow unintelligent and unthinking? Really?? Because I'm pretty sure you can't graduate Summa Cum Laude from college without thinking about stuff, or without being somewhat intelligent. Just sayin'. And then there's my husband. The guy has a Ph.D. in Theoretical Chemistry, for crying out loud! He's brilliant! About this point, my feathers were really getting ruffled, and then the Holy Spirit gently whispered in my ear and reminded me...it's not about me. Oh. Right. I forgot. I do that from time to time. Sorry!
But it didn't get whispered like "It's not about you"...it got whispered via a bible verse.
I pride myself on being intelligent. I highly value intelligence in people, probably more than most other traits, and have a hard time putting up with people who I deem to be on the lower end of the IQ range. I'm not proud of it and I fight against it every time I realize what I'm doing, but it's always there. Pride - one of the many thorns in my flesh that I struggle with daily.
A few weeks ago, I was blessed to sit through some teaching by my wonderfully gifted friend, Marian. She asked a question that I had never heard before in my entire life as a Christian. "Are you willing to be a fool for Christ?" I say I'm willing to walk through all kinds of trials, but at soon as someone questions my intelligence, I'm up in arms. "How dare you question my IQ based on my beliefs?!" And yet, it's what we've been promised. The Holy Spirit reminded me of that this morning:
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Am I willing to play the fool for Christ? Are you?
