Major Gross Factor For Fools

Major Gross Factor for Fools

Most third-grade boys could be described as childish. But this particular third grader may have crossed the line into foolish. He loved grossing out the girls. Maybe it was the reaction—the screams of repulsion—that the boy enjoyed. Or perhaps it was merely the attention. He constantly looked for ways to get a rise out of the fairer sex. So when he got a nasty cut on his finger that required stitches, he didn’t think about the pain. He thought about the opportunity. The next day at school, he whipped off the bandage on his finger to show the stitches to his entire class . . . while they were eating lunch. Before standing up, the boy proudly told his buddy, “Watch me gross the girls out!”

Mission accomplished. Unfortunately for the boy, a teacher was grossed out as well and discipline soon followed. It wasn’t the first time the boy had been punished for his gross-out antics, and it wouldn’t be the last.

The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about foolish people. In one of the grossest verses, it says, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness” (Proverbs 26:11). Talk about a remarkably graphic illustration!

Dogs can be cute and cuddly, but “man’s best friend” also has some peculiar habits. Among them is the desire to eat what it just threw up. Seems absurd, right? Especially when you understand that sometimes a dog throws up something it ate that was toxic or poisonous. Yet the dog goes back for more.

Do you see how this relates to a foolish person? A fool isn’t someone who merely makes a mistake or a bad decision. Fools refuse to learn from the past, even when there were negative consequences. They’ll do the same foolish action again and again, even if it’s dangerous or bad for them . . . just like a dog returning to its vomit.

Daddy-Daughter Time

Discuss together some well-known celebrities, politicians, or sports figures who keep making the same bad decisions in their lives. Why would those actions be signs of foolishness? Some people are addicted to certain behaviors—such as using drugs or alcohol—but still act foolishly by not seeking help.

Do you show any foolish behaviors in your own life? Many of us repeat our mistakes. Ask God to give you the strength to overcome your dogged tendencies.

What’s The Word?

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.   Proverbs 26:11