Life of a Simpleton by Olivia Janes

I’ve spent a lot of time recently trying to listen to God. I spend so much time in prayer, making request after request, only to realize later how little time I give God to respond.

I’ve recently added a time of reflection to my quiet time. During this time, I meditated on the word simpleton. This word stood out to me after reading Proverbs 22:3:

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

Conviction immediately ran over me as I thought about how often I excuse things due to a lack of thought. My lack of mindfulness in decisions could one day lead to destruction if I allow it to continue.

Walking the Christian life requires us to be on guard and ready for the battle ahead. If we live in a way that allows things to happen without taking action, then sooner or later we will realize we are a few mindless decisions too late. The Christian life requires mindfulness because we have a natural tendency toward sin, and if we don’t actively fight it, we will fail.

As a society, our scale of good is so skewed. What is truly good, and how do we define it? God is good, and anything good comes from Him. While some may not believe this now, one day all will see the truth in this statement.

The closer we grow to Christ, the more we realize how sinful we are. To ignore this and continue without thought is foolish. I often find myself a simpleton in what I participate in, whether listening to music, watching TV, reading books, scrolling social media, engaging with people, the food I eat, or how I spend my day. All of these actions can be foolish if done without purpose and mindful decision.

For example, if I turn on the radio and an inappropriate song plays, I didn’t choose the song, but by leaving it on, I’ve made a mindless decision to participate in something that does not glorify God. A lack of conscious choice does not excuse the sin. Mindfulness matters because our choices affect us and others.

Mindlessness rarely leads to a life that glorifies God; it often leads us to live like a simpleton.

Be mindful, be watchful, be on guard. As 1 Peter 5:8–9 says:

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.

Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

The Christian life requires mindfulness. How great a Father we have that He would love us enough to steer us away from destruction.

By not making a choice, you are still making a choice.

Where are your blind spots?