Always Right = A Fool

Do you know a fool? Do you live with one? Are you one?

If you think you might be a fool, that is a huge sign that you are not. A fool thinks he is always right and would never ponder on the fact that he might be one. But you might feel like a fool because you live with a fool or someone very close to you is a fool.

Do you know someone who is so self-confident that they are always right? Now I am not talking about a teenager that naturally goes through the 'I am right, parents are dumb' stage. We all have periods of foolishness in our life. It can be hard to love someone through a foolish period, but tough love will not cater to the whims of foolish whimpers and cave in with giving what they want rather than saying or encouraging what they need.

A fool is deceitful. Every Christian knows it is wrong to be deceitful because Satan is the father of lies and deceit. To be deceitful is to follow the father of lies.

Just yesterday I heard that Sun Tzu in the Art of War said that all warfare is based upon deception. There is that word I try to avoid "deception" because I equate it with the evil one. But I began to look up what in the world Sun Tzu meant by this quote and found that it is most often misunderstood because it is taken out of context. (Is this not so common?) [great blog on Sun Tzu]

Sun Tzu taught that a leader in war must be careful to let his opponent believe his own lies about himself, others or the situation without ever actually speaking one lie. It seems he knew well how to deal with fools. An enemy who thinks he is always right will delude himself into his own personal disaster and drag along those who follow him closely or who get caught in his web of lies.

A fool is arrogant, but a delusional arrogance that comes not from achievement or hard work. A fool lies to himself and to others. He is convinced he is something he is not and others believe his charade about himself.

A fool need a posse. 

He can't stand on his own because he doesn't do the hard work necessary to stand. He needs to surround himself with 'wannabes' who are willing to do the grunt work for him, who will drop everything when he calls, who will jump on the wave when the tide is rising because they desire to partake in the ride. A fool collects people like a magnet but drops them without a compassionate thought when their usefulness comes to an end. Callously a fool prunes back perceived 'dead weight' regardless of the love or sacrifice previously bestowed on him. People are disposable, but most never leave; they keep on giving regardless of how many times they are trampled.





A fool has an amazingly appealing good side, a dazzlingly bright star, a stellar competitor, and a charming presence. People feel fortunate to be called a friend or to be in the fool's inner circle because the high times are intoxicatingly special and regardless of the price to be paid during the fall they remember how great it felt to be there during the good times.

In this way, a fool is addictive, but more than that...

 a fool is a trap. 

They can catch people on their hook and drag them along thinking they are actually choosing to be around. This is the deception... a fool make people believe lies and even live lies as they toss out a few bits of bait to keep them around.

It is hard to awaken and recognize a fool when you consider the person a friend or even worse if they are a family member. You have a kind heart, you want to believe good about people, you question your own responses, you imagine that you are the fool and at fault... it could never be the other way around.

But remember if you dare to think for a moment that you are a fool, if you regret and repent of your sins, if you seek forgiveness and want to live right according to God and not in your own sight, you are not a fool. You might need to wake up and realize you don't need that fool in your life, but only God can reveal this to you. If you are in doubt, ask Him. He will be happy to show you. He hates arrogance, deception and foolish ways.... the ways of a sinner but never the person. God love you and me and all of his creation.

I hope this helps you see more clearly. I hope you have enough self-respect to let God remove fools from your life. This is my prayer for you and for myself.

Lindy