Wisdom and Folly

The other day, I wrote about our snow day and the igloo John built, which was torn down within an hour or less of building it. This situation keeps running through my mind, and all the meanings and lessons I can pull from it. Lessons about children, adults, parenting, and sin.

John, about 8 children from the neighborhood and I helped build this igloo, which took at least an hour to complete. And it was cold, hard work. Bending and lifting, bending and lifting. Carefully sculpting. The little girl in question--we'll call her Julie--was one of our biggest helpers. She wore no gloves and yet helped patch up holes around the igloo to help make it sturdy and beautiful.

So why did she, an hour later, so brutally massacre this igloo that she helped build? I know you might be thinking, "She's a kid and that's what kids do." Well, that may be true, but I think her choice speaks volumes about humanity and sin.

"The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down." Proverbs 14:1

When I was teaching in the little impoverished city of Immokalee, I was a little surprised to see that the children who had nothing were some of the most destructive children. How I wanted to be able to send books home (or to the shelter) with them, but eventually I had to stop. It's the same type of thing as the kids in projects who vandalize or destroy their own playgrounds. Why this behavior?

But all this makes me realize, do we not do the same thing? Do I not try to teach Maryn and train Maryn and discipline Maryn, only to grow frustrated and wrongfully angry with her when she's upset because I've been on Facebook too long? So often my behavior is in direct opposition to the very things I am teaching. I try to teach her to be kind and sweet, but can shoot off like a bottle rocket when my patience has finally worn thin--only to witness her sweet little face fall apart in heartbroken sobs.

This is not the way it is supposed to be. When sin entered our world, Adam shifted the blame to Eve. Eve shifted the blame to the Serpent. They hid from God. They learned shame. They learned guilt. They learned anger, impatience, impurity. They destroyed their lives with their very own hands.

"Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it."
-Proverbs 22:6

"If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." 1 Timothy 4:6-10

By our teaching and lifestyle, we can help our children, families, neighbors and churches set their hope on Jesus and live fruitful lives. We toil and strive because we have heavenly hope. He is building His Kingdom and we are so privileged to even know Him, to even know His name. Work hard, be good stewards of all that He gives us. And we must teach our children to work hard and be good stewards of all He gives us, even if it's teaching them not to color in their books and not to write on their walls or smear poop on the floor. These little lessons may seem mundane and annoying, but we are training our children to "wisely build up their homes," and hopefully with much prayer and training and help from His Spirit, folly will have no room to enter their hearts. They will not tear down their own homes. And will look toward their heavenly home. Where we will spend eternity with them.