Choosing Wisdom or Foolishness?

Every dimension of our lives presents choices. We choose thoughtfully, or we choose “under the influence” of those around us, those who helped raise us, or those with whom we want to associate. And when we choose, we will change our course in small, insignificant ways, or in major, life-altering ways.

Each choice we make eliminates the alternative choice we had available to us. So when we married Jane but not Pat, Pat’s life was altered, assuming she was being considered. Her options to choose were altered from that point on.

In our planning process, we’re reminded that we should have a Plan B ready in case Plan A doesn’t work. But by inference, Plan B is inferior to Plan A. There is something about it that make it less desirable.

When we try to bring about change in our lives, we’re faced with the ever-present Thought-Action-Habit continuum. This continuum states that every Habit was an Action, and every Action was once a Thought. It’s much more difficult to bring about change when we’re already in the Habit stage of life, easier in the Action stage, and easier still in the Thought stage. This reality is why our choices are so critical, because Thoughts produce Actions and Actions produce Habits. So whether we choose foolishly or wisely, our choices set Actions in motion, and consistent Actions become Habits.

When making choices, we are making decisions, we are selecting, we are saying “yes” to something, we’re showing preference and revealing our values. Everything we do educates others about us, and everything we don’t do educates people about us. The book of Proverbs shows us that there are really only two paths to walk, two ways to live life; the way of wisdom or the way of foolishness. We come to a fork in the road many times throughout our day, and we will choose wisdom or foolishness.

Proverbs says, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold….her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed” (3:13-18).

I encourage you to start a discipline of reading Proverbs every day, that you might become Proverbs Wise. Try reading the chapter that corresponds to the day of the month; i.e., chapter 1 on the 1st, etc.