No Brainer

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child" (Proverbs 22:15a).

What seems an obvious choice to us as homeschooling parents is not so easy for our children. When we ask "What were you thinking?" to our children for making foolish decisions, we forget that we, too, found ourselves in difficult situations when we were young. Many times, the only thing that separates our choices from our children's is a few years of wisdom from having been there and done that. What is even worse is when we as homeschooling parents make foolish choices, even when we know the right thing to do.

Saul is an example of this foolishness in the Old Testament. God had chosen him to be king of Israel, and following the Lord seemed like a "no brainer." However, Saul made a bad choice for the last time when he chose to assume the role of a priest. Instead of waiting for Samuel to come and offer the sacrifice to the Lord, he panicked when his army began to disband for fear of the Philistines, and he offered the sacrifice himself. This foolishness and desecration of God's holiness brought the end to his reign as king (1 Samuel 13:8-14).

Foolishness usually seems more obvious in others than in our own lives. Even though we know what we should do, we allow circumstances to force us into making decisions that are wrong. We listen to the voice of everyone but God and wonder how we ended up in debt, in court, or on our backs looking up at the One we should have followed in the first place.

What about you? Have your foolish actions led you down a road you never intended? Do you wish you could turn around and get back to where you started? Just as the prodigal son finally came to his senses in the pig pen after living a foolish life that wasted his inheritance and broke his father's heart, you can come to your heavenly Father and seek His forgiveness, too. He is waiting with outstretched arms to welcome you back. Don't wait! Turn around and come back to Him today!

Lord, forgive the foolish choices I have made because of fear and pride. I submit my life to You in humble obedience. Help me to live according to Your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Share This Article

Comments(9 comments)

DAVID (TOM) H 10/29/2009 07:08:50

I just finished reading this chapter of Proverbs and was delighted to read from God's wisdom in you. Thank you for your faithfulness and love exhibited in this message. May God continue to bless you in yor walk together.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Judy Hogan

I am home schooling my 31 year old son, Tom Hogan (who was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He enjoys doing the lessons and is making progress. He has finished the 9th grade Bible course. After the Math we will get the remainder of the 9th grade. Keep him and me in your prayers on this journey to success in getting the GED or a Diploma. God bless you and your family.

JOYANNA E 10/29/2010 04:46:12

(David/Tom) Hogan, Thank you for sharing. Your faithfulness with your son is just another reminder and display of God's faithfulness to us. I'm sure it's not always easy for either of you. Be blessed and strengthened for the Lord is with thee. May God bless you and yours. Thank you for the encouragement!

NATALIE V 10/29/2010 06:34:52

I just wanted to make one correction regarding the reading today. Actually God did not choose Saul to be King of Israel the people did. God allowed him to be King of Israel. Having said that I thought the reading was an excellent one. So many times I am frustrated with my kids and need to remember that they see things through limited experience. Even with my many years I tend to make the same mistakes over and over again. This reading renminded me to extend Gods grace to my kids the way my heavenly Father does for me.

DAVINA B 10/29/2010 08:40:39

Excellent devotion. On a different note - I sure wish they would send out the Daily Focus in it\'s ORIGINAL FORMAT. I miss having the devotion delivered in its entirety to my inbox. It\'s a distraction to stop in the middle, click to be re-routed, and then pick up again. It makes me feel like I was forced to leave the privacy of my inbox, where I like to quietly reflect on the devotion by myself. If I want to read others thoughts, or visit their website, I can do that myself! Anyone agree?

STEPHNIE B 10/29/2010 10:17:47

i think this is nice that we can state our opinion,but I agree this is to time consumming to have to stop and pick up on reading these. please can you put it back

OLIVIA S 10/29/2010 17:30:21

Thanks for sharing this, although I matured now, I\'d wish read this much sooner. But of course we always learn from our mistakes, but the best way is to just listen first than experience to learn.

KATI W 10/29/2010 21:00:55

These devotionals are such a blessing, but I too miss the original format. It is very distracting to stop in the middle and then be rerouted. :)

AUDRA K 10/29/2011 06:50:03

I am always blessed by these devotionals. Keep up the good work!!!

LINDA MCMULLEN 11/01/2013 14:18:53

God has His ways of showing us our mistake, I'm thankful He does, but its' not always easy to fessup to our children, but they need to see our humanness. Thanks for sharing


Blog Categories


Homeschool eNews


Want more information?


We're available right now!

Call 1-800-622-3070

CHAT NOW Schedule a CALL BACK Free GETTING STARTED GUIDE Email us a MESSAGE