When God Calls You Stupid
I used to reprimand my son, Joseph, a lot for saying the word "stupid" when he was much younger. At that time, witty Joseph would retort "some things really are stupid!" This is why I was a bit taken aback when I read this particular blog of his and realised that Joseph was right. Sometimes, no word can ever take the place of "stupid"... even more so when it is God Himself who calls you that. Whoa, did I hear that right?
_____________
I used to say stupid all the time as a kid.
Tha'ts so stupid.
What a stupid idea.
I'm so stupid.
My parents would reprimand me and tell me not to say that word anymore. But I'd argue back, Some things really are stupid!
I see their point now. It was wrong to say it recklessly.
But there really are times when no other word applies. There really are situations, ideas, and people that are stupid. Here's what the Bible says,
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. Proverbs 12:1
When God wants to make a point, He really says what He means. And He says hating correction is stupid. In the words of Pastor Steve Murrell, If you hate correction, this verse says you're stupid. Don't be mad at me. I?didn't?call you that. God called you stupid.
The different versions of Proverbs 12:1 over 34 different translations. If your sensibilities are offended by the word "stupid," you may choose an alternative from the list. But "stupid" is the winner by a landslide.
The different versions of Proverbs 12:1 over 34 different translations. If you are offended by the word stupid, you may choose an alternative. But stupid is the winner by a landslide. It's definitely better than dumb animal.
Correction is painful, embarrassing, and invasive. But everyone needs it. And to hate it is stupid.
There's some very good news to this verse: God doesn't consider it stupid if we make mistakes. It's only stupid when we hate being corrected for them. It doesnt matter how naturally smart, talented, or brilliant we are. We're all imperfect and need correction.
So go ahead and live life fearlessly! Make mistakes! Fail spectacularly! Fall flat on your face. And then receive the correction, thank the person, and make the necessary adjustments. You're on your way to wisdom.
Don't be stupid.
For more of Joseph's blog, visit http://www.josephbonifacio.com
My Comments Policy
While my site offers visitors the ability to converse, I have a few ground rules so that our conversations will remain civil and courteous.
1. You must register in order to leave a comment. I don’t entertain pseudo, anonymous or bogus individuals. This site is my home (it has a Home Page, get it). I don’t let strangers who don’t introduce themselves into my home.
2. I love questions. I love them because a lot of times they are similar to someone else’s questions and can even trigger other questions from others. Questions also keep us all sharp. This is also why I respond to them as best as I can and at the soonest possible time. I believe that group answering benefits more people than private email exchanges.
3. We don’t have to agree. Debates are welcome. However, whether it is with me or any other visitors of my site, my rule is this: disagree if you must but keep things civil. That’s just how I run my home, and you are a visitor here. No shouting; I have seen it done in writing. No cursing and no insulting.
4. I reserve the right to delete your comments. Like I said, this is my home. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. As a human being, you may enjoy the freedom to express your opinions on your own site but not on mine. To be specific, I will delete your comments if you post content that is in my sole opinion: (a) snarky; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum, civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog entry.
5. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own them and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve me from any and all liability that may result from those posts.
6. You grant me the license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. By posting comments on my site, you automatically grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, video, or presentation.
In short, my goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this clear and simple comments policy will facilitate this.
