Fools Rush In...

July 11, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

"What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment?” Job 7:17-18.

One way to examine ourselves is to watch other people’s actions. While watching the news, we ask how anyone could be capable of committing such horrible acts. Through an unrecognized period of self-reflection, we reassure ourselves that we are not capable of acting that way, and we question “how” someone could have done something so horrific. Outwardly we verbalize the question as a “why” because society tells us “how” means we are asking for instructions in order to act the same way.

On smaller scales this practice occurs. When someone wrongs us in the smallest of ways, we ask “why?” This is an instinct that comes from our Creator. God is the One looking at the “why” whether the act is good or bad.

We run from the “why” in our own actions to avoid self-condemnation, and the appearance of “playing the fool”. In turn, we justify our actions. If we hurt someone, we tell ourselves the person had it coming by reminding others the number of times the person hurt us before. In turn, justification becomes the excuse to avoid the “why”.

Through that justification, we ignore the opportunity for self-reflection. We take the focus off of our own wrong action, and we act as if the person we harmed is the one continuing to harm us through our own action. Put simply, I hurt you because you hurt me before. As my justification, I tell you I would not have done this if you had not hurt me first. In blaming you, I use what you have done to justify what I am doing.

God knows this reaction. He cautioned us that He is not looking at the “what” we are doing before He looks at the “why”. At the moment we realize God is looking at the “why” of our actions, we justify our actions to Him, and we state those justifications without giving them thought. If we gave our justifications thought while spilling them out to God, we would ask ourselves, “whom are we trying to fool?”

We may fool people, we cannot fool God. He knew our actions and defenses before they ever existed. While we work to plead our case to Him, He is piercing through our hearts examining the true “why”. He does not see you hurt someone because they hurt you, He sees you hurt someone out of anger and revenge for past wrongs. He does not see that you believe in your position; He sees you advance it to silence your opposition. “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." Jeremiah 17:10.

Throughout the Bible, we see stories where He judges the “why”. If not, unintentional killings would not be mentioned. “Then the LORD said to Joshua: "Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.” When he flees to one of these cities, he is to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state his case before the elders of that city. Then they are to admit him into their city and give him a place to live with them. If the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the one accused, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought.” Joshua 20:1-5.

Even in our own actions as Christians, God cautions us to look at the “why”. When Samuel was to anoint David as King after God rejected Saul, God knew Samuel did not know what David looked like, and that Samuel would see others he believed, based on appearance, would be the one God wanted anointed. God showed him that He was not looking at the “what”, who appeared strong enough to be King, rather He was looking at the “why”, which was David’s heart. “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:6-7.

No matter how righteous the act seems, the “why” counts. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1.

Giving to the needy and praying are wonderful, but as with all actions, good or bad, God is looking at the “why”. If your goal is to look good to others, and you brag about what you have done to make others think you are, then you achieve the only goal you wanted. Looking good to others is the reward you receive because God knows He was not the “why” for your action. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:2-6.

To be in line with what God wants, no matter the action, throw all justifications aside and look at the “why”. Justification only comes after the action, although we frequently justify before we examine the “why”. God does not operate as we do, seen by the fact that some killings are “unintentional” and some of our good actions are not rewarded by Him because our intention was to please others.

With any action, ask yourself “why” you are doing it. To look good? Out of anger for the past? To further your position by blaming the other side? Do you really believe what you say or are you just reacting to the other side? Why are you praying or giving?

When you discern the true answers, remember no matter what your justification, you cannot fool your Creator. Out of fear of self-condemnation, we avoid the “why”. Pay attention to that realization. If “what” you are doing is pure, there would be no fear of any condemnation at all. Avoiding the truth for fear of playing the “fool” is a guise to prove our correctness to others and blinds us from the real truth.

God always sees the “why”, so the real truth is we were playing the “fool” all along.