Have you ever played the fool?  I sure have done and said some foolish things in my life but as far as I know, I'm not characterized by that term.

We've all played the fool from time to time but some seem as though they could make a living from it.  In other words some are just born naturals.   A fool is one who is habitually unwise, silly or some may say a dupe.  He hasn't a clue. He continues not to learn from the mistakes of his past repeating his actions or words over and over again without the benefit of accepting any type of correction showing him the error of his ways. 

Sometimes we look at our kids and can see the foolish things they are doing because they haven't learned their lessons quite yet.  We give them some room and understanding because of their youth but we, of course, as parents don't wish to raise a fool.  We wish to raise our children to become wise young men and women.  We need to teach our children to  to make right decisions, to learn from their mistakes and seek to wisdom all the while. 

The Bible has alot to say about fools especially in the book of Proverbs.  Here's a few examples I got from Dr. Norman Wright:

1.  A fool hates learning; he already knows it all and doesn't need to learn anything else (1:22)

2.  A fool is defensive all the time; when corrected, she rejects what is said (16:22)

3.  A fool thinks he knows everything and therefore doesn't listen to anyone.  He laughs at the system; he opposes the law and the legal system (Prov 12:15; 15:5)

4.  A fool doesn't learn because she is so distracted by her lifestyle (17:24)

5.  A fool can't control his tongue and gets angry easily (29:11, 12:16, 20:3, 22:24-25, 10:14)

6.  A fool has no self-control.  She's impulsive and has no regard for anyone else's feelings (27:3)

7.  A fool makes senseless ridiculous comments; there is no depth (1:28, 18:7)

8.  A fool is full of pride; he's full of himself (14:3)

9.  A fool cannot handle success; she will sabotage herself every time because success is right.  She wants to be wrong.  She likes breaking the rules (26:1)

10.  A fool cannot handle money, so don't give him any (19:10)

See yourself?  How well did you do?  I sure can see some of me in these descriptions of a fool especially when I was younger.  I can also see how much I've matured and am not so quick to speak, make a decision or lose control like I once did. 

It's time to leave our foolish ways behind us and start walking the path to Wisdom.  Today's the day!