Can one who is a fool ever be wise? Or is this truly otherwise? and do we then all think that once a fool always a fool? Can a fool not learn from his folly and one day grow to be one that is wise?…and prove us all to be none the wiser? From my experience the saying once a fool always a fool is something people believe to be factual and true. But the question remains, can a fool ever be wise?
The theme “wise fool” is one that is contradictory in itself and it set to make a point as I truly do believe that fool can be wise. The problem I have seen is that no matter how much one changes, people will always describe and know that person by his/her folly. Let me give you two good examples in the great book, the Holy Bible. Let’s take a look at one of my greatest heroes, king David…a man after God’s own heart! A man of many great accomplishments, but the one thing that people choose to remember him by, is his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the spilling of the blood of Uriah. People always chose to remember the foolish acts and allow that to be what remains fresh in their minds…let me rephrase, ‘we allow that to be what remains fresh in our minds, our very narrow minds’. I ask again, can a fool ever be seen as being wise? Another classic example is that of Rahab found in the book of Judges. This lady is the only individual (from my research and searching of the Bible) that bears the name Rahab. Yet, you find that the two times she is mentioned in the New Testament, she does not escape the title “the harlot”. The only woman mentioned in Hebrews 11 alongside Sarah the mother of faith, yet she is still mentioned as “the harlot”. The question still remains, can a fool ever be wise?
I often hear people say “I am not my past”, but never have I ever taken those words into greater consideration as I am right now. There will always be people in life who will only remember your past and folly, to only ever know you as a fool. Take note…I referred to those people as “people in life” and not “people in your life”, because they need not be in your life if they choose to only look at your footprints and not where you are now and where you are headed. You are not your past, I am not my past, we are not our past. A fool can indeed be wise, but only if the fool learns from his folly…only then does a fool become wise. The unfortunate part is that if you do change, not all people will see the inspired change and call you wise, or a wise fool, but will just call you a fool as all they can see is the past.
Although king David did indeed murder Uriah, I do believe that he, David, will be in that celestial city side by side with faithful Uriah because though David was a fool, he learnt from his folly and repented. A fool can be wise! Rahab earned the title ‘the harlot’, due to her deeds, but she then moved from her foolish trade and married into the tribe of Judah. Although chronicled as “the harlot”, she forms the bloodline from which our Lord and Saviour came. I repeat, you are not your past, whether you and or other people choose to see it that way or not. A fool in the hands of God is not a fool no a wise fool but truly a wise man. I am not saying be foolish with the intention of learning from your folly and repenting at a later stage, because what if you do not learn and truly remain a fool? All I say is that, in your current folly, know that you can indeed be wise..in His hand. Do not allow people to label you as a fool when you have seen the light…neither should you label yourself as a fool either. We are not our past, we are wiser!
*Picture: Stańczyk by Jan Matejko
mkhonto85 
Firstly I believe the word your after is Oxymoron…like “a fine mess” or “Awfully pretty” or my favorite , “among the first””.
Secondly (IMHO) The reason people choose to remember King David by his actions with Bathsheba is because the story or rather the occurrences were set up that way (for us to learn) .i.e Despite a man’s actions and his failings it is still possible to love the Lord God with all your heart and still desire to connect with Him. I wouldn’t call King David a fool… perhaps a man who struggles with self control (as many of us do in one way or another…hmmmmm Lindt) but certainly not a fool. I choose to look at him as one of the greatest Kings that ever lived.I read yesterday that our brains automatically choose to focus on the negatives rather than the positives…the lows rather than the highs in our life.There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the future. Lets take Saul aka Paul… He was a murderer in his previous life but went on to be one of the greatest men who ever lived .The conversion of Paul on the Damascus Road was one of the most dramatic moments in the Bible. The story of Paul is a story of redemption in Jesus Christ and a testimony that no one is beyond the saving grace of the Lord. We learn that God can save anyone. The remarkable story of Paul repeats itself every day as sinful, broken people all over the world are transformed by God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ. Some of these people have done despicable things to other human beings. Living the past is a dull and lonely business, looking back strains the neck muscles, causing you to bump into people not going your way. Nice piece MK…
“The past has been there all along, reminding us: This time–maybe, hopefully, against all odds, we will get it right.” ― Leslie T. Chang
Lol, now you preaching? & no, I purposefylly avoided the word oxymoron. That is the first word that leaps into people’s minds. Fool in this instance means making a mistake or putting it plainly, screwing up & king David screwed up!
Thanks Pat!