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Last month, a young man named Jonathan got saved, and began attending church. He was very committed to serving the Lord and rejecting the old sinful way of life.

I’m sure Jonathan knew this would mean leaving friends who weren’t interested in things of God……

but it probably happened sooner than he expected.

I like to tell people who are interested in growing in the Lord they need to leave behind “the foolishness.” By this I mean individuals who will fit into the Biblical term fool. Those who sit around doing nothing, take the Lords name in vain, usually drink, display anger, distract those who actually want to serve God. It is possible to spend time with foolish people (I do) but it’s important not to spend too much time around them. Because the more time you spend around foolish people, the more foolishness you will experience!

Last Tuesday was a perfect example of how fools bring foolishness, or confusion and conflict.

A simple issue of a man taking two lengths of steel for welding without asking (he should have asked) that cost less than $20 US became a big issue. The owner of a chicken shack the steel was taken from had a loud confrontation with the man’s girlfriend who lives just across the road. For hours they screamed and shouted at one another! Then Tuesday night someone burned down the chicken shack!

Sadly there is no proof of who actually did the job, so nothing will come of any investigation. The chicken shack owners have already built back a smaller stand to sell from.

That afternoon I saw Jonathan wearing his secondary-school uniform, which made me very happy! He had reached for four (around the end of grade 11) before leaving school, with only one year left before graduating! He told me that afternoon the Lord led him to start classes again.

While I am proud of Jonathan’s going back to school, I’m actually more proud of WHY. He recognized the foolishness of those around him, and got away as fast as possible!

Jonathan was actually apprentice to a welder in the process of learning a skill. But this was the same welder who neglected to ask permission before taking the lengths of steel. In a testimony during out prayer meeting service, Jonathan said seeing the huge argument between neighbors over steel showed him this wasn’t a safe environment. He immediately went to his boss, and told him he was going back to school.

I rejoice over Jonathan’s deliverance from the foolishness, but mourn over those who will not leave

Many people in Barrouallie have social lives that revolve around foolish people, which means they experience foolish things. I’ve had friends tell me countless times they are done being in those places, only to see them there the next day. The problem is we all need places to socialize, and there aren’t too many healthy places in the community to do this. Which is why the Lord is leading me to create a refuge for those who want to escape foolishness.

The decision of Jonathan to walk away from what he knew to begin something new was a reminder for me from God. A reminder that no matter how careful we are, socializing with fools will affect you.

Eventually we have to leave the fools behind.