Fools and Babies

I’ve often heard people say, “God protects fools and babies.” Well, I’m no baby and I thank God for His hand of protection! What I love about Him is that He realizes that we can all be a little foolish every now and then.

The phrase about fools and babies is most often applied in situations where the person is in some kind of physical danger. Like the person who sits in a car with the engine running in an enclosed garage—and lives to tell about it. But for me, it’s most apropos in situations where I’m on the verge of a spiritual catastrophe.

In my life, I’ve found that usually, when I’m about to enter a sinful situation, God provides an escape hatch. For example, once when I was a teenager, I wanted to go to a party that was happening a few blocks away. My mom was working the night shift and I was forbidden to leave the house because I had to take care of my little sister. I got a call from one of my friends who urged me to go to the party. Man, I really wanted to go! And I would be back before my mother came home from work—she would never know! Most importantly (in my teenage mind) I didn’t want to punk out on my friend. But just as I was about to say, “Yes,” defying my mother’s direct orders—my friend acknowledged, “Oh, but you have to watch your sister, right?” That was my “Get Out of Sin Free” card!

As I’ve become older, I have learned to look for the way out of sin in obvious situations. But then there are the situations that are created in my own mind. The ones where I make up my mind about something and that’s just what it is! Well, let’s start with Proverb 12:15, which says, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” The danger in “making ones mind up” is that there is little room to receive correction. That’s when the Lord snatches me by the neck and shows me the error of my thinking, head-on.

When I’ve made up my foolish mind, without fail, I’ll come across a Scripture that might as well have my name emblazoned in the text. For example, some years ago, I was mad at my neighbor and I had some information for her that she had requested prior to our disagreement. When I realized that I had the info for her, I decided in my own mind that because I was mad at her, I would wait until the following week to get it to her. That very day, during my Scripture reading I came across Proverbs 3:27-28, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow’—when you now have it with you.” I’ll never forget how ironic and frightening it was to see those words before me in the Bible. Needless to say, I acted on that swiftly!

This is why it’s important to pray daily and read your Bible regularly. You never know when God will reveal something to you or you’ll come across a Scripture that has your name and situation written all over it. Also, attend a Bible study group—you may be surprised to find that the next session was prepared just for you!

We can all be a little foolish at times—but let’s all thank God for His great hand of protection!