I’ve Been a Fool, Now What?

It is believed that these words found in the New Testament book of Titus Chapter 3, verses 3-8 were written between 63 and 65 AD, over two thousand years ago from our current 21st century. Yet these words are as timely and applicable today as they were at the time of the Apostle Paul's penning of this epistle. Paul's intended audience for the message of his letter was not the unbeliever, the unchurched, nor those who were worshipping idol gods. But he fashions this letter first to Titus who was a pastor and son in the ministry and then to the Christians who were located on the island called Crete. How interesting is it that Paul would take the time to remind a pastor and necessarily his congregation of believers that at one time or another, we too were foolish.

This idea of being foolish is not singular to this passage. In fact, the words fool, fools, foolish, foolishly, and foolishness appear in the Bible a combined total of 199 times, including 76 verses in the book of Proverbs. Not only does God want us to be able to recognize when we are being foolish, we have a plethora of references in the Bible to emphasize the point. It is often said that if something is repeated in the Word of God, it is to emphasize God's point and to ensure that we do not miss the meaning of what is being said. As it pertains to "fools", the number of references in the Bible gives us an idea of how important this idea is to God that we gain an understanding of truth and our identity in God, so that we do not function as life-long fools.

To be a fool is ultimately a lack of understanding of your identity in God. Once you gain an understanding of who you are as a son or daughter of God, you come into a new awareness. In fact, so much so that you become a new creature. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17) In this sense, gaining this type of understanding is akin to gaining a liberating education about our identity in God. Renowned educator Paulo Freire asserts in his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, that an awakening or conscientization precipitates a liberation that is praxis, causing men and women to reflect and take action to transform the world as they themselves are transformed from the inside out. This means that we must experience an awakening before we can expect to live a transformed life. For this reason, I have divided the book into two sections. Part I - Revelation, Reflection, and Reference which is largely focused on self-reflection, and Part II - Renewal, Reshaping, and Rebranding which focuses on action and practical application.

Once you've come into an awakening that you've been living through a mindset that is beneath your identity in God, once you realize "I've Been a Fool", the question that must follow is "Now what?”. It is in these moments, that we must decide whether we will run towards God for direction and wisdom or will we continue in our folly attempting to live life on our own terms. It is my prayer that you will use this book as a tool as you reflect and navigate through the “Now what” moments of your life. Both prayer and praise have been life-giving for my journey and I have included moments of prayer and praise at the end of each chapter. I invite you to journey through this book with me and I trust that God will speak life to you. Let's get started!