How to be Wise, not Good
by Elouise
I grew up believing the Bible would teach me to be a good girl. The other option? Ignore the Bible and grow up to be a bad girl. I just needed to read the Bible, study it, and take it to heart.
Maybe I’m trying to split a hair, but I don’t think being ‘good’ is the same as being ‘wise.’ Many ‘good’ girls grow up to be like fools. Not all the time, and not by choice. Sadly, they weren’t encouraged to learn the meaning of wisdom—not just as an idea, but as a way of life.
Wisdom. How to have a moral backbone. How to make wise choices and live with them, no matter what others may think. How to stand up and tell the truth when others want you to sit down and shut up. How and when to decline invitations, and how to behave in situations loaded with surreptitious behavior, gossip, intimidation or false promises.
My favorite wisdom book in the Bible is Proverbs. A book about how to be Wise and how not to be a Fool. All delivered one proverb at a time! One bite at a time. One situation at a time. One habit at a time. One encouragement at a time. Always delivered quickly and efficiently.
Here are some proverbs that invite me stop and think about myself. Not about other people who really need to read this proverb, but about the truth of my everyday life and behavior. I’ve used the Good News Bible translation because of its down-to-earth language. Do you recognize yourself in any of them?
Proverbs 10:19 —
The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin.
If you are wise, you will keep quiet.
(And if you’re a fool, you’ll just keep talking….need I say more?)
Proverbs 14:15 —
A fool will believe anything; smart people watch their step.
Proverbs 14:31 —
If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them;
but kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship.
Proverbs 15:17 —
Better to eat vegetables with people you love
than to eat the finest meat where there is hate.
Proverbs 15:28 —
Good people think before they answer.
Evil people have a quick reply, but it causes trouble.
Proverbs 15:32 —
If you refuse to learn, you are hurting yourself.
If you accept correction, you will become wiser.
Proverbs 16:19 —
It is better to be humble and stay poor
than to be one of the arrogant and get a share of their loot.
Proverbs 16:28 —
Gossip is spread by wicked people;
they stir up trouble and break up friendships.
Proverbs 17:1 —
Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind
than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.
Proverbs 26:22 —
Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
Praying you’ll have a good day, with multiple opportunities to practice wisdom and forsake folly.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 22 December 2016
Response to WordPress Daily Prompt: Folly
Quotations from the Good News Bible, published by the American Bible Society 1992
Telling the Truth 
Love the first proverb…the more you talk you are more likely to sin. So TRUE!
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That one bites me every day of my life! Ouch….
Thanks for your comment!
Elouise
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I’ve always loved Proverbs….devoured them as a young adult, made some mistakes as everyone does in life, but that too is how we learn to be wise when all is said and done…I shall be quiet now 🙂
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🙂 We’ll see how long that lasts…. 🙂 Being wise isn’t exactly in our genes, is it? Better late than never, though!
Elouise
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no, not in the genes…as I age I find it is a learned experience, self induced for self preservation…but that’s perhaps how it always is…my first time round so how would I know, right? ha….have a beautiful night my friend, hug the L for me….or just give her a gentle tap for me…thinking about you and sending peace and blessings as always ❤ and yes, better late than never ❤
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Thanks for the biblical authority to refute the government’s welfare reforms. ‘If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them.’ Not that God is ever insulted, but it’s good to remember…. 🙂
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Yes indeed. It’s good to remember and to say out loud from time to time. I fear many of us are out of practice. 😦
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The Bible shows us THAT we are not good and WHO was good for us.
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Since the point of the post was wisdom, I didn’t talk much about goodness. Here are a few thoughts: God, as Creator, found Adam and Eve very good as created–which already included their human limitations and human need for each other. Interestingly, Jesus himself refused to be called good, pointing instead to God as his Father. There is goodness in each of us. What isn’t there is the possibility of being ‘good enough’ to rescue ourselves or others from our own failures and folly. As a follower of Jesus, I’m invited to accept his goodness on our behalf as my own. That, however, leaves me with a deficit of wisdom–as described in my post. My father, a clergyman, wanted us to be ‘good girls.’ Unfortunately, I don’t remember being helped with becoming a wise girl or woman. Nor was I good in the way that I believe Jesus was. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Elouise
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