This month, I am reading through the book of Proverbs, studying one chapter a day. Each week, I will share a verse that stuck with me. Join me as I study the wisdom that God gave Solomon, and apply it to life today. Click here to get your printable Proverbs Study Calendar.
“Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.” (Proverbs 18:2)
I’ve got plenty of opinions. You probably do, too. Part of being a person with a brain is having the ability to make observations and form opinions on what we see.
But where this gets us into trouble is when we have opinions that are based less on fact and more on feeling.
Have you ever met someone briefly, and soon after, created an opinion about them? Maybe it’s based off their looks, a short conversation, or their general attitude. Your opinion might be favorable, or it might not. It also might be wrong.
How often have we formed opinions about people or ideas based on limited knowledge? How often have we let those opinions stand instead of trying to right them with better understanding?
Because that’s the real folly.
Fools have opinions, but no understanding
There’s nothing more frustrating than someone who doesn’t want to learn. Someone who’d rather imagine themselves an expert than actually become one. Someone who considers their opinions to be facts.
There’s nothing more frustrating than a person with an opinion, but no understanding—especially if that person is me.
I’ve come to realize that I can be a fool sometimes. I can form opinions based on the tiniest bits of information, and then stand by them stubbornly. As embarrassing as that is to admit, it would be more embarrassing to not be aware of this fault.
If not for well-meaning loved ones and the urgings of the Holy Spirit within me, I would be a fool without understanding more often than not.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware of this. So, I try to hold my opinions back until I have some knowledge to back them up.
Jumping to conclusions is hard to avoid. Over-analysis is one of my superpowers, so holding off that freight train is hard work. But I can keep those thoughts back, not sharing my opinions until they are based of real understanding, not perceived knowledge.
We are all fools sometimes. We all have opinions. But we don’t all have knowledge or wisdom. So let’s keep our opinions to ourselves until they come from fact, not feeling.
Have a beautiful Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration today? Try these:
Proverbs Study: Living in God’s Wisdom
Leave a Reply