It’s OK to look foolish, as long as you aren’t

Often times, each of us are overly concerned with how we appear to other people. This is normal. We all have an innate desire to fit in with others. It stems from wanting to be a part of a community. No one wants to be an outcast. And, certainly, no one wants to appear foolish.

There’s a quote from Abraham Lincoln where He said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” It’s a good quote. If we truly don’t know what we’re talking about, there’s no reason to put that on public display. It’s best for us to just sit back and learn from others. Take in the knowledge from others—the ones who do know what they’re talking about.

There’s also the flip side to this. There are times when you really do know what you’re talking about, but it’s just not readily apparent to everyone else. You may, in fact, look foolish to them, even though you aren’t. Sometimes when you stand on the side of truth you aren’t on the side of majority opinion. This can make you appear foolish at times. However, just because you aren’t on the side of the majority doesn’t necessarily make you wrong. There are things that seemed crazy at the time but were later proven to be true. And then public opinion caught up later on.

So, it’s many times the ones who were willing to look crazy that helped us to discover the truth. They helped us discover the truth about science and nature and the world around us. They didn’t care how they appeared to the outside world. They just cared about finding out the truth. And that’s how we should be. Maybe if more of us were that way we would know even more than we do today.

But being willing to look for the truth no matter where it takes you can be a risky venture. You sometimes might not like what you find. And when you get down to it, I think that’s what makes a lot of people afraid of truth. They don’t want to find out what’s at the end of that road. They are like the proverbial ostrich burying its head in the sand. Now you tell me what doesn’t look foolish about that. Really, the foolish ones are the ones who willfully deny truth. Being ignorant of truth because you just don’t know is one thing. But being willfully ignorant is something else altogether.

That’s not to say that we stand for things that have no basis in fact. But when we know we have a good handle on the truth we need to stand firm in that knowledge. Even if we may look crazy to some people, it doesn’t compare to knowing what is true. I will take truth at the expense of public opinion any day of the week.

…Let’s go deeper

AV Proverbs 17:28: “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: [and] he that shutteth his lips [is esteemed] a man of understanding.” I believe Abraham Lincoln’s quote probably originated from this verse. Our level of intelligence is never quite so exposed as when we begin to open our mouths and speak our minds. And we need to speak our minds at times. However, I know there are times when my level of expertise in an area is found wanting. And in those instances I’m better of just being quiet.

AV 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” It’s important that we stand for truth. Once we know truth we need to stand firm in knowing the truth. We hold onto it and are on guard for anything that would try to take us in a different direction.

AV Ephesians 6:14: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” This is often referred to as the belt of truth. In the military of the day this belt was known to hold the scabbard. And the scabbard was where the soldier placed their sword. So, in essence, no belt meant a soldier would be left without a weapon to fight with. The belt was kind of the holder of the truth.
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AV Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)” Once we have a firm grasp of truth, it’s important that we keep it and guard it. The reason we can stand firm in our faith is because of God. God is faithful that promised. Our faith is rooted and built in Him. And when our confidence is in Him, we won’t be ashamed.

AV 2 John 1:7: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” There are those throughout history, and especially today, that would try to deny, not only the existence of Jesus Christ, but also the deity of Jesus Christ. The ones that deny this are reflecting the spirit of antichrist. They are deniers of truth. And this is because the truth is not in them.

AV Proverbs 17:28: “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: [and] he that shutteth his lips [is esteemed] a man of understanding.”

AV 2 John 1:7: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”