Sometimes 'dumb' and foolish, just not young anymore

As I child I was extremely blessed to grow up close to a home with 3 boys about my age. I knew them as Bobby, Jimmy, and David Craig. As adults they are now known as Robert, James, and David. My wife, Kathy, still just calls them, “the Craig boys.” For the first time in 30 or 40 years I had the privilege of getting together with these friends and visiting. As we sat and talked the conversation got around to where we asked each other, “Do you remember when?” “Do you remember when your Volkswagen burned up in your garage? Do you remember climbing a tree to get into a gym so we could play basketball? Do you remember when there were seven people in the orange VW and we were involved in an accident?” Their mother, Ginni Craig, and our wives were present, listening to and participating in our conversation. I heard a couple of times in those visits, “It’s a wonder any of you survived.” My reply was, “We were young and dumb.” There are a LOT of “young and dumb” stories!

That reminded me of a prayer from one of my favorite Psalms from King David. In Psalm 25:7, David prays, “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.” Maybe David had some “young and dumb” times too.

But if those adventures occurred when I was “young and dumb,” why do they still happen today, when I’m not so young? On April 17 I was driving to fish with church friend, Mark Hoyer. I wanted to be on time, but had been slowed up by morning traffic, and I wasn’t totally sure of the location where we were to meet. Without realizing it, I exceeded the speed limit and I received a speeding ticket. In truth, the speed limit did increase about 100 yards from where I was stopped. And, I was less than a mile from my destination. But I wasn’t watching my speed. If I had not been stopped I would have arrived early. But, with the ticket I was late. I felt pretty “dumb,” if not young!

And what about my sun glasses? On Sunday, March 27, I had caught a fish and, after putting the fish into the live well of my boat, I stepped up to the deck on the front of the boat. Somehow, as I stepped up, my life jacket strap, caught the pocket on the front of my shirt where my sunglasses were in a case. When I stepped up, out popped the glasses case. As it landed in the water, I watched my sun glasses slide out of the case into the bottom of the lake. I felt, “young and dumb.” But, again, I AM NOT young anymore!

My mis-adventures are not just part of being young. Unfortunately, they are part of who I am. In truth, these stories simply put a nice face on an ugly truth, that I am fatally flawed. We all are. St. Paul describes our struggle in Romans. “19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. . . 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:19, 24) We need a Savior. In fact, I often say that if the world around us wants empirical proof of the truths of Scripture, all they have to do is look at the mess our world is in. Evil, and the consequences of our sin, are obvious! The worst decision we can make when facing the trials and the evil of life is to leave God, to leave His Lordship, His wisdom, and His forgiveness, out of our plans and decisions.

It does give me comfort to know that Paul faced similar struggles. I am not alone. And, then I also remember Peter. One moment he was confessing Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The next moment, because Peter rejected God’s plan for the cross, Jesus had to scold Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.” (Matthew 16:16, 23) Or, do you remember when Peter asked Jesus to call him out to walk on water with him? It’s a good thing Jesus was there to save Peter! (Matthew 14:23-33) Or do you also remember when Peter swore that even if all the other disciples fell away from following Jesus, he would die rather than desert Jesus? (Matthew 26:31-36, 27:1-10) It does seem that I am not alone with my struggle with sin.

I have learned that the best thing I can do is admit my tendency to foolish and harmful things and to seek the only real hope for this life and eternally, Jesus! Our culture teaches us to “trust yourself.” “Trust your heart.” However, I have learned to doubt my heart which is full of sinful desires, and I have learned to doubt my foolish ideas and ways. I have learned to turn instead to my God and Savior. Solomon wrote, “5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) That is one reason I am regular in worship and regular in personal devotions and Bible readings. I need God’s wisdom and guidance. I need His forgiveness. I need Him to make my paths straight.

I told a friend about my sun glasses taking a dive to the bottom of the lake. His advice was to wear a floater strap on my glasses. But, when I talked to the lady at the eye doctor, that wasn’t so easy to do. I’ll work on it. It looks like I will always struggle with my personal lapses in judgment and the dark temptation to sin. What I really need is a Savior. So, I can also say with Paul in Romans 7. “24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)