Tiny Devotional for Tuesday, 10-26-2021

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits; croissants, too, if you prefer.

Like one who binds a stone in a sling,
So is one who gives honor to a fool.
Proverbs 268, NASB>


I pity the fool

There is a widely held belief that if you treat a fool with love and compassion, they will be fixed. This contrasts with the even-more-widely-held belief that if you snatch a fool bald-headed, they will stop bothering you.
I ascribe to both philosophies, with limits; they AREN’T incompatible. It just depends on what “love and compassion” means.
Do you understand that binding a stone in a sling makes it useless? It’s no good, even as a training device, because knowing when to release the stone is the key to proficiency; if the stone is bound to the sling, it can’t be released. And giving honor to a fool is useless as well. 

But what if a fool DESERVES honor? It’s been known to happen, that fools have performed well, even heroically, in an emergency. So, give them a medal; then you have a fool wearing a medal.


The love and compassion that will transform a fool (and I have seen it done) will include a LOT of structure; using praise to reward appropriate behavior; ignoring inappropriate behavior whenever possible, and limiting damage when it isn’t possible. Fools are like everyone else in THIS respect: they act the way they do for a reason. So, give them different reasons.

Finally, remember that fools are to be avoided whenever possible, because needless interaction turns you into a fool as well. (Sorry, teachers; that doesn’t apply to you.)

Peace be on your household.

Comments

  1. S'milinOctober 26, 2021 at 5:54 AM

    Learning that avoiding fools is a wise and appropriate helps me stay out of political discussions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. charlesOctober 26, 2021 at 1:30 PM

    Yes yes ii have been administering to some foolish young girls.
    Loving them even when they were not Loving tthemselves.
    But what I had In my favor is that I loved them the way Christ loves them to the best of my
    ability...
    Planting seeds not knowing when or if they will sprout

    ReplyDelete
  3. On Christ the Solid Rock I StandOctober 27, 2021 at 3:48 AM

    Yes my Brother Pat, as much as possible, we ought to warn those fool and lead them to Christ, but if not, then avoid their actions that make them fool.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Moose45RiderOctober 27, 2021 at 11:35 AM

    Achievement needs to be recognized but doesn't mean that a foolish person can keep it up.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny Devotional for Tuesday, 05-23-2023

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, cold brew coffee with chocolate Boost. My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right. Proverbs 23:15-16, NASB Proud I’m not sure if it’s possible for a son to know how much he can bless his father, until he becomes a father himself. And since those are the only two roles I have played, I have zero idea about the mother & daughter interaction; it IS the same with father/daughter, though. Confession: had I read this passage as a teen, and possibly as a young adult, my response would likely have been: “I don’t CARE if your heart is glad. In fact, I hope your heart ISN’T glad.” Clearly, I had MAJOR issues I needed to address; and clearly, so did those who stood in the place of the father figure in my earlier life. But this is NOT an attempt to lay blame; instead, I speak to the core of thi
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 06-21-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the Fairmount Pattersons are Papa-sitting this morning! It is better to live in a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. Proverbs 21:9, NASB Today is the 21st of the month; so, Proverbs 21. I have written about verses 1-8;  it’s verse 9’s turn. Thus, my selection of this verse has NOTHING to do with my wife, mother, sisters, or daughters! All of them are intelligent, confident, and assertive; they are NOT contentious. ‘Contentious’ does NOT mean ‘has a different opinion’!  A man who has lived with a contentious woman gives the definition by example: I was 20 years old, and stupid (those might be the same thing).  I thought our marriage would work because she was beautiful, and I was, too. It didn’t take long before I realized I was wrong about that. Most of the time, it didn’t matter what I did; I couldn’t please her. We were married for 3 years,
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Sunday, 08-20-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Piper doesn’t like her food. Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the Lord. Proverbs 20:10, NASB If this verse weren’t so important, I’d skip it, because I discovered it in a painful time. Others were involved, and their stories are not mine to tell. So, you get a parable: Stockman Bubba ran a cattle station, in partnership with his horse, Nancy. They worked hard together, and although they were not rich, they had achieved a degree of success. One day, a platypus stung Bubba, incapacitating him. Bubba tried to continue running the station, but after two years had passed, he realized it was time to retire. Nancy couldn’t adjust to this, and she left for life on her own. Three years later, Bubba realized Nancy was never coming back, and considered getting another horse. However, he was concerned that the other station owners would think bad
Read more