Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.
1 Corinthians 3:18
The mark of true maturity is to understand that without God, I am not as smart as I think I am. This has been so hard for me at times in my life, as someone who has consistently relied on my intellect and reasoning skills to help me navigate the world around me. (I’ve also been someone who relies heavily on my intuition and feelings too, but don’t even get me started there on how dangerous that can be as well!)
The fact is I am relatively smart according to the standards of the world. I have learned to navigate the world based on what I’ve learned before in the world, I tend to fall back on patterns known to produce successful results I am seeking (success defined by the world’s standards) and depending on the subject I will have strong opinions (hopefully based on fact) that I would love to debate with someone all day long (also, I love me some Jeopardy!!)
But here’s the kicker: I have a smart kid. She is every bit as intellectual as I, has the same knack for school I did, and just yesterday she wiped the floor with me when we played Blokus together. She is strong-willed and opinionated, and one day she’ll likely surpass me in worldly knowledge. But for right now she’s immature. Oh, she THINKS she’s mature and can hold her own in the world—no, really, at 13 she thinks she’s ready to live on her own and make her own decisions—but no amount of intellect alone can prepare her for some of the challenges she’ll face. Her sharp mind will help her greatly, and my money is on her if she HAD to hold her own in a survival situation, but I don’t think she’s ready to leave the cover and protection of her father and I just yet. But there are days when she *REALLY* doesn’t appreciate the rules and boundaries we have set for her. She wants to be GROWN already. She gets mad when we “hold her back” from the greatness she’s trying to reach (when that greatness looks figuratively like diving off a cliff without a chute…) And what makes the situation so dangerous is that she DOES know a thing or two. But she doesn’t know that she doesn’t know everything, or even a majority of what she may need to know. She thinks she is wise by the standards of the world and that it’s enough. But she’ll find herself a fool at some point if she doesn’t acknowledge that there’s still so much yet to learn.
And when I was her age, I thought the EXACT SAME THING. Now I know (most of the time!) enough to know I am not as smart as I hope I am. What I failed to see so many times in my immaturity is that Kingdom success does not look like worldly success. God’s wisdom does not look like our wisdom. When I am smart in the world, I have a good chance of being a fool in the Kingdom. God’s word tells us to humble ourselves and acknowledge that when we are walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit, we are likely fools. We know nothing. And when we understand that we are truly foolish compared to God, and that we NEED His wisdom, thoughts and guidance—we can ask for Him to give us His mind. And when we receive His thoughts and act on them, then we have the ability to be truly wise by His standards.
God help us all to see that regardless of the gifts we possess in this world, nothing can outshine Your ways, Your thoughts and Your wisdom. Help us become fools so that we may be wise.