Why I don't like April Fool's Day

Two reasons why I don't like April Fool's Day: One, I'm not a good liar (which I suppose is good since I'm a minister) so it's difficult for me to pull pranks , and two, I don’t like being made a fool.  That can be a good thing too since the Bible doesn’t speak very highly of fools.

The book of Proverbs uses the word fool more than any other in the Bible which makes sense since its purpose is to make us wise, the opposite of being a fool.  A fool is useless, lazy, always dependent on others, mistake prone, and gets in a lot of messy accidents.  It's not a good thing to be a fool, but how does one actually become one?

There are many paths to foolishness but one sure way is mentioned in Proverbs 14:16 , "Fools are headstrong and reckless."  Fools don’t listen to others and they have no restraints.

In college, a friend and I had an internship at a church about an hour away from school.  One Sunday morning we jumped in his car to be there for Sunday services and as we approached the turn to the church I told Art we need to make a left.  He just sailed by.  When I told him he responded with the comforting words, "I know but my brakes aren’t working well."  We were in a car with no brakes.  I never told my mother that story.  Moms are not too fond of their sons driving in cars in with no brakes, and rightfully so. 

Imagine buying a car and as the salesperson rifles through all the options and perks he casually mentions that the car does not come with brakes.  How ridiculous would that be?  Brakes are not an option, they’re a standard feature.  Every car has brakes and every life needs them too. 

Fools live their lives with no brakes!

There are a lot of "no's" in the Bible and sometimes we are critical of God for all his prohibitions.  But really these "Thou shalt not's" are the braking system for our lives.  Wise people know that life is full of twists and turns and stop's and go's.  Wise people know that brakes - prohibitions - are vital to a safe trip.  If you really think about, even cars without brakes eventually stop -- usually when they run into a wall, or a pole, or another car, or when they fall in a ditch.  When fools stop it's really messy and a lot of people get hurt.

There may be some things in your life that you need to put the brakes on.  It may be sex, or greed, or pride, or alcohol, or lust, or drugs, or anger.  So, use your brakes before you crash!

A fool is reckless.  A fool never uses his brakes.  A fool ends up hurting himself and others.  Don’t be a fool.