Ever Feel Dumb?

Have you ever felt really dumb?  I mean really dumb!  It's the kind of feeling that makes you shake you head at yourself and wonder what you were thinking.  I've had that feeling way too many times.  Some say that's because I'm a guy. Others say that's my personality to do and then to think later, but I think often it has something to do with today's bible reading. 

This morning I only journeyed a couple verses and came across this line - God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the strong.   I love that line, but I also have a bit of a problem with it.  I mean seriously - I went to four years of college to gain wisdom, and four more years of seminary to do the same and now God says he likes the fools.  That's a hard one to get our minds around.  Perhaps it's because we're too smart to get it. 

I think that Paul is teaching us a very important truth - God's actions don't make sense - and that's good! You see nothing that God does really makes sense when you think about it.  Creating the world in six days - nonsense there's too much detail, yet he did it.  Part a sea and allow people to walk across on dry land - nonsense there'd be too much mud, yet it happened.  Send his own son to die for our sins - crazy the innocent are not supposed to undergo punishment, yet that's the reality in which we live. 

But it's not just in the bible that God does things that don't make sense.  He's still doing them today.  I know that many people are facing some real challenges in their lives right now.  I know that often we're going to choose the smart thing to do, but I wonder if here God isn't telling us to get a little foolish.  Out of money - spend more?  Tired - stay up later?  Stressed - take on more responsibility?  Can't swim - jump in the ocean? 

I'm not saying that this is the case all of the time but I'm pretty sure that when Peter jumped out of the boat and walked to Jesus he didn't regret a minute of it - and that was ridiculous!  Men can't walk on water but he did - and because he did what was foolish in the eyes of the world he's the only one who felt Jesus picking him up.  When we make our own plans and take God's place, we'll never feel his hands pulling us out of troubled times. 

So today - get crazy!  Let it all go!  Leave it all to God and watch how he can defy reason.  Then share with someone you know what it felt like to have God pick you up and set you on dry ground again. 

Lord today we want to get crazy.  We want to be seen as fools in this world so that you might get the glory and reveal your plans in and through us.  Give us the courage to live a life contrary to reason.  Amen.