All Wet
It was a windy day when I took two friends sailing on our Hobie Cat. Both Vern and Mike had been sailing with me before on this boat; however, both times the wind was light. Today the wind was blowing hard. After we had the sails up and were ready to go I tried to explain to my two friends that today would be different, that the boat would not only go faster than usual, it could flip quickly as well. Neither of them was willing to listen, to which I said “OK then lets go.”
A man once coined a phrase about Hobie cats in heavy winds. He quipped “they are cats with sharp claws.” As we came out of the protected cove the wind shifted a couple of times then we got the full force of the wind. I shouted to both friends to get on my side of the boat. They replied “What?” Then instantaneously, we flipped. Suddenly I had their full attention. Before instructing them on how to right the boat I gave a quick class on sailing in heavy winds. We then righted the boat and had a great day of sailing.
Proverbs 9:6-10 NIV
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
7 “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The Message gives this translation:
7–12 If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face; confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins. So don’t waste your time on a scoffer; all you’ll get for your pains is abuse. But if you correct those who care about life, that’s different—they’ll love you for it! Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it. Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God.
In my life I have often ended up swimming, wondering how the boat got upside down. The answer is that I did not first seek wisdom first. I call it the school of hard knocks, and I have paid much tuition to that school. Yet the wisdom of life is contained in God’s word. In verse 4 and 5 of Proverbs 9 it says that a table of wisdom has been set for the simple. Our God has set a banquet of wisdom for us. Will you come with me and partake, or do you need to go swimming first?
Rev. Patrick Evans
http://pastorpatscorner.blogspot.com
