FOOLISH CHOICES

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 111:10)

Some time ago, a good friend of mine who has been far from God his whole life finally admitted that his own path, his own choices, his own foolish impulses had led him into a royal mess. In a private setting, he emotionally -- and with unprintable words -- described the crash of his entire life. He ended with this brief summary statement: "I have blown it!"

I told him that I couldn't disagree with a word he had said and that the current mess he was in was nothing more than the predictable consequence of twenty-five-years of folly. What could he expect after making one foolish choice after the next? "But," I said, "listen to me. There is a way out of your chronic case of the follies. You can make a really smart choice in the next five minutes. You can make a choice that is so wise it will redirect what is left of your life here on earth and redirect your entire eternity. If you're ever going to make wise choices, here is where you have to start. Fling open the door of your heart to God; put your hand in the hand of Christ extended to you; accept the forgiveness that is offered to you. The fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom.

-- Bill Hybels in Making Life Work: Putting God's Wisdom into Action


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