April Foolishness
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.~1 Cor 1:27 NIV
With April Fool’s Day upon us, we will be keeping our eyes and ears open and our thinking caps on wondering whether people are pulling our leg, or even our arm or some other unexpecting part of us, in order to fool us and get a good laugh as we show unwarranted shock, excitement or fear of some far fetched tale they tell. I’m not sure which day I hide out more–April Fool’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day when I always get pinched for not wearing green!
But no matter what day it is, there are two things I’ve learned over the years: (1) I tend to be the one to fool myself the most; and (2) No matter how far fetched something seems, if God says it, it is no fooling! 1 Corinthians 2:9 quotes, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” and Ephesians 3:20 gives glory to “Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” and then Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
We say that we believe God’s Word, that we believe and trust that He is who He says He is and that He can and will do what He says He will do. But then we shrink back from believing in and reaching expectantly for our full potential as we tend to follow suit with the world’s ”stinkin’ thinkin’” (as Joyce Meyer puts it) leading us to think that if no eye has seen and no ear has heard, then it may not be possible, that God can’t possibly have anything that immeasurable waiting for us, or that we simply do not have the strength or discipline to make it through.
We look at ourselves as “the foolish things of the world” and “the lowly things of this world and the despised things”(1 Cor 1:27, 28) as these are defined by man. Instead, we must intentionally take action to “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2) because the Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isa 55:8)! Even if you say that it is true and that you are all of those small and powerless things, then to God be the glory for our Lord declares, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)
Beloved, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” (1 Cor 1:27-29). If you believe and draw near to Him, your life can be more than you can ask or imagine, what neither your mind nor any other could ever begin to conceive, becoming and doing all things you are called to do through His strength,”with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power”. (1 Cor 2:5)
So when you get critical of yourself or when those around you look down upon you as if you are foolish, dearest Saint, rejoice in your foolishness! For God can and will bring beauty for ashes, strength for fear, light for darkness, life for death–that which is life indeed!
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. (Eph 1:18-23)
“I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There’s nothing I cannot do
Nothing I cannot do”
(Chorus lyrics, “Set the Word on Fire” by Britt Nicole, “Say It” album, 2007)
Christian Life Coaching Call to Action:
1. What “foolish” dream do you have for your life? Take time to write out all of the details of that vision for who you want to become, what you want to do, how you want to live, how you want to feel?
2. Is it a vision that you just can’t let go of no matter how improbable it seems? Seek God to confirm whether it is from Him. Do you have “stinkin’ thinkin’” that is keeping you from believing that you can realize this vision? What steps can you take to replace these thoughts?
3. Get started today writing a plan to build or rebuild to God’s original design for you all of the major areas of your life: Spiritual, Relational, Physical, Financial, Career. (Yes, write it down–vision, goals, stepping stones–so it is in front of you consistently rather than an occasional daydream–God wrote His plans down for us! Why not follow His example? A fantastic resource for this is Blueprint for Life, a life changing individual or small group Bible Study, Life Purpose Discovery & Strategic Life Planning resource. Written plans before, but don’t stick to them? Then get a family member, friend or life coach to help you to be accountable.) You may feel that you don’t have time to make a plan. But the question is, do you have time not to?
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