Thinking Out Loud, Volume DIX

Believe it or not, I used to be a comedian. Is it even conceivable to you that people would actually pay ME to try to make them laugh? One thing I learned was that timing is extremely important in comedy, and if something that's supposed to happen at a specific time is just a few seconds late, it ruins the whole joke. The majority of my gigs were at churches, and I had to depend on each church's sound man to play music or certain sounds at just the right second on the CD I provided. There are two instances in particular I want to tell you about. One was done perfectly and the other was the polar opposite of perfect. Trust me, one of the worst feelings in the world is when you're trying to be funny and someone is ruining all your jokes. The first one of these incidents was near Fort Worth, Texas. I met the sound man early before the banquet started, handing him the CD and a list of instructions. He glanced at it and and said, "No problem." I then proceeded to explain each one of the instructions, and he said, "Man, you don't have to go through all this. I've got it!" Well, he didn't have it. He messed up every single one of them. The other place was in Oklahoma, and just like I did in Fort Worth, I met the sound man with the CD and list of instructions. I then began to explain each one to him, and he asked questions and made notes on every one. His performance during the show was flawless! What was the difference between the two? The man in Oklahoma was teachable and the man in Fort Worth was not. Which guy will be the most likable and have the most friends? The answer is obvious. Proverbs 12:15 says, "Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others." It's like an oxymoron when the "know it all" is the foolish one, while the wise man realizes just how much he doesn't know and says, "Teach me; I'm listening." The fool says "I'm the best," and the wise man says, "I can be better." The fool is arrogant and the wise man is humble. The foolish man sits in the audience and never ceases talking to his neighbor while the speaker is speaking, as if what he has to say is more important than the speaker's words, while the wise man is silent, absorbing every word the speaker has to say. (Incidentally, the wise man does not enjoy sitting next to the foolish man in those situations.) The foolish man dominates the conversation, while the wise man spends more time listening. The wise man admits when has messed up, while the fool always blames someone else. The foolish man invests his time and effort on things temporal, while the wise man places his focus on things eternal. If I picked up a bottle and a genie appeared, granting me one wish, how would I use that wish? Would I be like the man on the television commercial who wished for a million bucks, and suddenly he saw a million male deer grazing on his lawn? I firmly believe, if such an opportunity came to us, the majority of us would ask for riches. Solomon had such a chance, and he asked for wisdom rather than wealth. His prayer for wisdom was granted, yet he became the most wealthy man alive. Imagine that!! With all of that said, it's time for me to take a long, hard look in the mirror and make a determination into which category I fall. Let me be the first to admit I've made some dumb decisions, so I have to ask if wise men and women ever do anything foolish. Well, let's take another look at Solomon. Considering the fact that he had seven hundred wives in addition to his three hundred girlfriends, I have to conclude that none of us are perfect and we're all subject to making stupid mistakes. (That had to be the epitome of a dysfunctional family.) A few months ago in one of these blogs I quoted a good friend of mine who said, "With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone." If I ever reach the stage of life where I feel that I have it all together and I've acquired all the wisdom I need, I will have to conclude that I have become a fool. No matter how old I become, I must never cease to be teachable, with a never ending thirst for more knowledge. The search for wisdom must be a never ending quest. Preston