If you're gonna be dumb....

I've done some pretty dumb things in my life. Some things I am completely ashamed of, some things I wish no one ever knew about, a lot of things I wish I had never done, and some things I wish I would've done differently. But, I have learned, at least a little, from all of them. I'm sure the same is true for most of us.

Have you ever looked back on your life and thought, "If I'd done this differently.....," or "If I had it all to do over, I would......"?

A little over a month ago I passed a huge milestone in my life.....I turned thirty! So, I started reflecting on my life. Mid-life crisis? No.....simple reflection. But, if you look into a mirror, sometimes you don't always like the reflection. I noticed that half my life has been spent trying to FIX something I had done wrong. The other half was spent learning how to keep from messing up (an art I have not mastered). All the while I kept remembering something my step-father always says, "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough." Well, life in general is hard - but it's a whole lot harder if you're stupid!

I've taken a lot of risks in life. Some risks have had amazing outcomes. Some have been drastic failures. But, I have never been a pine rider (baseball term). I have always been in the game. Does that mean I am right? No. It means I was willing to give it a shot. Sometimes my intentions were good. Sometimes my intentions were selfish and not good at all. But the willingness to take a risk shows some sort of faith, right? What is the source of that faith? Is it confidence in self? Is it blind hope that all is right with the world? Could it be an attempt to maintain some sort of self-worth or perhaps build self-esteem? I don't know. But, it only makes sense that we, as humans, are born with some sort of faith. That faith can eventually blossom into a stronger faith or it can die out to nothing - absolutely no faith in anything. I believe our faith is tested, tired, refined, and built stronger - if we pass the tests. Now, does that mean I'm going to jump off of a building with a sense that I can somehow miraculously flap my hairy arms and resist gravity? No. I can assure you I will indeed hit the earth with the full force of a two-hundred pound man with six-pack flabs. The point is that we have faith but need to keep our wits about us. Which is a perdicament I find myself in a lot lately. Do I walk in faith or do I walk with the sense God gave me? This is hard to discern.

On the one hand, I know that my faith will be tested. But, I also know God gave me a brain to reason and think about things. So, am I lacking faith by trying to be smart? I don't think so. I think it's like all the other times in life I've taken risks. It's just that.......a risk. If I am to fail - it obviously is not of God. If I succeed, it was meant to happen, regardless of my ability to reason. God is definitely above reason and understanding. So, I should be about His business, regardless of "smarts." I'd rather be seen as dumb and faithful, than smart and faithless. But, again, if you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough. Be ready for the rough terrain.


Thoughts?