“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." —Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)
A few weeks ago, I was walking and talking with a dear friend, and somehow in the conversation she made reference to “a fool’s errand,” saying “We’ve been on a fool’s errand ever since we left the path.” I couldn’t believe that I had never heard this particular phrase before, but it did bring to mind how many “fool’s errands” I have been on in my life. We are going along on a certain path, called by our Lord, but then become distracted and lured onto another. This is when we often find ourselves on a fool’s errand—doing something that is foolish in one way or another. In relating this to our faith, we are called to stay on course, following our Savior’s lead as we journey through life. But somehow, some way, we allow ourselves to veer off. Maybe we begin taking the path of least resistance; maybe we begin taking the more “beautiful” way; maybe we just step off course because we are not paying attention. The reasons are as many as there are stars in the sky. But one thing remains certain. If we step outside of the will of our Father and lose our way on a path, that shows a lack of judgment; we are most certainly on a fool’s errand. How foolish to not remain in his care and follow his lead. So much comfort is found by knowing that if we just listen to the voice of our Lord and call on him for direction, we will not find ourselves foolish at the end of day. His pathway is secure because he is the very One who has laid it out for us to follow, and how encouraging to know that we are stepping along the very path where he calls us to walk.