The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1 :7
I hate April Fool's Day. It is my least favorite day of the year, followed closely only by St. Patrick's Day. You might think, "What could you possibly have against having a little bit of fun?" Even as a child, when I figured out that people were out to trick each other, I knew it wasn't something I wanted to be part of. April Fool's Day is shrouded in trickery, surprise and otherwise throwing people off their plan for the day. Essentially, tricksters aim to make someone feel foolish. I get angry when people think that they can get away with messing with people because of a date on the calendar. Granted, there are some tricks that are all in good fun, but then there are tricks where people are cruel and hurtful to others. I'm not okay with that no matter what the calendar says. Yes, I have been accused of being a "fuddy-duddy," and I am totally fine with that.
Some people might think I am a crumby mom because of the advice I gave my Kindergartner this morning before she left for school. It dawned on me that she hasn't really had any experience with April Fooling, so I cautioned her that people are going to try to trick her today and maybe try to make her feel left out or give her some kind of false hope toward something that isn't real. Naturally, she was confused. When I told her that, often times, adults get involved, she seemed a little apprehensive to go to school. I told her that most everything is done in fun; she was eased a bit. I told her that even though people might try to trick her today, I didn't want her to get involved in the foolishness. She seemed completely okay with that. Even as a young person, she can sense that foolishness is volatile and dangerous. You really can't predict what fools will do!
My Bible supports me in my refusal of playing into the notion of fools, and it supports my endeavors to gain wisdom. Here's a sampling of what my Bible says about fools in Proverbs.
"How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?" 1:22
"Then [fools] will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for [wisdom] and not find [it] since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord" 1 :28-29
Yikes! That doesn't sound like a joke to me!
"The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame." 3:35
"Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing... she says, 'Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!'" 9-13, 16, 17
"A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother." 10:1
"...a chattering fool comes to ruin." 10:8, repeated in 10:10
"...the mouth of a fool invites ruin." 10:14
"The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense." 10:21
Wow! That's quite a prediction! Death from lack of sense!
Here's the one that seems most fitting for today:
" A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom." 10:23
"The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult." 12: 16-17
The list could go on and on about all the misery that happens to fools. In short, foolishness is dangerous! A lot of the problems that happen with fools comes from their mouths and their own plans and can lead them to misery or death. I don't want to be a fool, and I also don't want to endorse a day that honors foolish behavior.
Proverbs 22:15 says, "Folly is bound up in the heart of the child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away." Each day that is wasted with foolishness is a day that I can't ever get back to work on wisdom in my children's lives and my own. I feel like I have encountered some adults that never got the folly driven out of their hearts by the rod of discipline when they were children because their parents thought that foolishness was funny or cute. Foolishness in adults is a character trait that is neither cute nor funny; fools end up miserable and often don't even recognize that their own behavior led them to their miserable state.
Have I ever participated in April Foolishness? Yes, as a child. Do I like a good practical joke every now and again? Absolutely. However, I don't ever want to make anyone feel like a fool or be a fool myself, and I certainly don't want to raise fools.
Rather, I want to instill great wisdom in the lives of my children, whether that is popular or not. "For those who find [wisdom] find life and receive favor from the Lord," according to Proverbs 8:35. What do you think? Is April Fool's Day fun for you?
Have you ever had wonderful things happen as a result of an April Fool?
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