Foolishness is Contagious

One of the hardest topics for me to explain to my middle school girls in Sunday School is how to find an appropriate balance between spending time with an unbeliever in order to build a relationship and share Christ and spending too much time with them so that you are the one being influenced to fall away from Christ.

As we’ve studied through Proverbs for all these summer months, one truth that has stuck out is that foolishness is contagious. I was once told by a mother of twin (now 4-year old) boys, that what one brother would never even consider doing, twin brothers will accomplish in record time.

Proverbs 13:20 tells us that “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

I can really be a fool about different things in my life –  how to respond to my employer properly, love my husband selflessly and even serve the church well. In these times of foolishness, I reach out to other women who are in the same walks of life to learn from their wisdom. There have been times when I have gained great strides in wisdom.

Unfortunately, there have also been times when I have sought pity over  wise counsel and found that as well. By spending time with fools and foolish ideas, I became a fool myself.

So how do we find this balance between influencing fools and being influenced by fools?

1. Don’t do whatever it takes. When it comes to sharing the Gospel, if they reject it, move on. Do not change the message to somehow be more “appealing.” And don’t change yourself to be accepted. By all means, if the Holy Spirit reveals sin in your life, repent and change your action or motive. But don’t change to fit in. God has uniquely created us with desires and passions that we can harness to share His love with others; if He wanted us to be robots, He would have created us as machines.

2. Pray. That one word sounds simple enough, but spend enough time and energy – yes energy – in prayer that you have earnestly sought the will of God in all matters. Reference point 1 – the Holy Spirit will do His job and convict us of our sins if we ask.

3. Tell your parents. Okay, so some of us may feel too old for this – and we might need to substitute “parent” for “spouse” or “mentor.” But if you’re under the age of 18 or so, you still fall under your parents’ authority. And if they are Christians, you should trust them to join you in prayer as you seek to bring the Light of the Gospel to a Lost Soul. They can also join you in witnessing to them by making it a family-centered mission.

Everyday, I use an antidote to germs – soap on my hands, detergent on my clothes, bleach in the bathroom. If I merely used water and a rag, I would be spreading the germs and bacteria rather than killing them. Likewise, we need to combat the foolishness in our hearts and the hearts of our loved ones with Scripture, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

What remnants of foolishness do you see in your own life? How can you stop spreading it around and start exterminating it?