MY VERY SMART FILE

I could fill volumes with the regret I carry for the times I willfully chose another path. A file in my mind called "My Very Stupid File" is filled with the memories of all the times I came to critical crossroads in my life and chose a foolish path. Each time, I would end up saying, "That was so dumb. Look at the consequences. Look at the people I have hurt. Look at the guilt I carry. Look at the time I have lost. Refusing to go God's way was so stupid."

We are not born wise; we are born with folly in our hearts and minds. One of the main tasks of life is to grow out of folly and into wisdom. Part of that growth process involves learning from mistakes. So whenever I learned a lesson from my foolish choices, that allowed me to make a wise choice the next time I came to a similar intersection. I mentally stashed those choices into "My Very Smart File." Frequently perusing and comparing my two files was one of my most effective ways of building trust in God. It was obvious that every time I went God's way, my life worked better. Every time I trusted Him by obeying His commands, operating according to His wisdom or yielding to His guidance, He proved to be worthy of my trust: His wisdom worked, and His commands were just, and His guidance served me well. Eventually I was able to say without hesitation, "I do trust the Lord with all my heart! I am not blowing smoke or making false claims. I trust God because He has proven Himself to be trustworthy."

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


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