Today’s Blog: Parading in “New Clothes?”
TODAY’S PROVERB: A rich person is wise in his own eyes, but a discerning poor person sees through him. Proverbs 28:11, TLV
Remember the children’s book, The Emperor’s New Clothes? For those who have never read the story by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, it’s about two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes. The weavers are actually con artists and very successful at their trade. They tell the emperor and his subjects that the material they’re using has special qualities. It will appear invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, or are stupid and incompetent.
The reality, of course, is that there is no material. However, they do a great job of convincing people that if they don’t see it, then they are indeed unworthy.
When the emperor publicly parades before his subjects in his new “clothes”, no one dares to say that they do not see the suit for fear that they will be seen as stupid.
Finally, a child cries out the obvious, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!”
Are we “parading” around with no clothes? Or are we seeing the nakedness, but are afraid to speak up?
We don’t have to be wealthy . . .
I don’t think we have to be wealthy to have a skewed view in certain areas of our thinking. We can lose our sense of reality because we’ve sequestered ourselves in our own world.
That’s okay as long as we’re teachable and open to be corrected. When we parade naked is when we’re stubborn in an opinion and unwilling to see from another perspective.
Once we’ve dug our heels into a perspective so deeply, we can convince ourselves that we’re right, even when the facts and others more wise and experienced than us, tell us otherwise.
Speaking up . . .
Of course, when it comes to Biblical principles, we can be more firm in our stance. But, sometimes we can be right in what we believe, but wrong in how we live it. Or, how we speak up. Or in our attitude.
Are we prepared to be the single voice that points out the truth and says, “You’re naked” when others say how lovely are the clothes?
Our own exposures
I have had a few embarrassing moments in my life where I was “exposed” in my stubbornness and pride. How grateful I was for someone to point out that I was naked. That cared enough to help me put on real clothing.
Sometimes, I wonder if we need to hold our conjectures lightly. Test them. Walk in them. Compare them to Scriptures, before we hold them tightly and parade around in them.
And always, we should listen for the still, small voice that warns us, “You’re naked.”
May we wear the true “suit” of wisdom, my friends.
Proverbs 28:11 Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs
HAVE YOU EVER “PARADED” BEFORE? EVER CALL SOMEONE ELSE OUT AS “NAKED”? IF THIS BLOG HAS BEEN A BLESSING, PLEASE SHARE. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
