Proverbs 14:1
Some people just don’t know what to do with
themselves when things are going well. You’ve known some. They just don’t know
what to do with smooth sailing. They seem to “shoot themselves in the foot”
when most other people would be excited about the progress. They keep choosing
the wrong kind of spouse. It seems obvious to other people, but they just can’t
seem to notice the obvious pattern in their lives.
But why would someone do this? People don’t
like being miserable, do they? The short answer is yes and no! If all you have
ever known is getting the short end of the stick, then it feels comfortable.
Doing something different can really feel strange, out of place. So you stick
with what you know. It least you don’t have to worry about not knowing how it
will turn out.
The top side of the proverb is that the wise
woman knows how to build her house, a stable environment for herself and her
family. She makes choices that bring that about. Little by little her household
gets built for long term survival. She invests in her husband, kids, herself and
in her community. She keeps proper priorities.
This is in contrast with the foolish woman
who tears her household down. It is not that she just lets her house fall apart
due to lack of effort. No, she actively tears it down. She makes choices to
hasten its demise. It is not that things just happen to her. She is not just in
the wrong place at the wrong time. She puts the target around her neck and
walks onto the golf driving range. She wants to be hit, even though she will
complain about everyone hitting the balls in her direction!
The fool really is stuck. She really doesn’t
know that things could be different for her. She thinks this is the way life is
for her. Other people get a different kind of life, but she just gets this
life. And there isn’t much she can do about it, at least that is what she
thinks. That is because she is not willing to give up her foolishness. She
could embrace wisdom.
Men can be this same way. Foolishness is not
confined to women. Men can be just as rebellious.