What does it mean to be stupid?

We're kind of Stupid that way!

 

If you were asked, "Are you a stupid person?" most of us would say No! We have a picture in our minds of stupid people doing ridiculously stupid things, things we would not consider doing. Some people just do dumb things!

 

Webster's defines the word "Stupid," as: "slow of mind; given to unintelligent decisions or acts; acting in an unintelligent or careless manner." We also sometime refer to people as "Dumb," again Webster defines the word as "showing a lack of intelligence." So, we see that both words have similarities. We might admit that we sometimes do stupid or dumb things, but over all they are just temporary lapses in judgment, not a regular condition we exhibit, that's right, isn't it?

 

I wish that were true, but far too often we repeatedly fall into those "lapses in judgment." Often when we do this it is regards to sin or temptation. It seems to be common to the human condition, but should it be? Are we trapped into being less that we can be by those "lapses in judgment"?

 

I love reading the comic's in the newspaper (or online now days). Calvin and Hobbes is one of my favorites. In case you don't know, Calvin is a small boy with a vivid imagination and Hobbes is his stuffed toy Tiger who he imagines is alive.

 

In the very first Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin's dad is working on the car, when Calvin walks up in a safari hat and says, "So long, Pop! I'm off to check my tiger trap! I rigged a tuna fish sandwich yesterday, so I'm sure to have a tiger by now!" His dad replies, "They like tuna fish, huh?" As Calvin walks off, he says, "Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich!" The final frame shows Hobbes, hanging by his foot from a tree, munching on a tuna fish sandwich. He says to no one in particular, "We're kind of stupid that way."

 

Every day Satan tempts us to make stupid decisions, perhaps to accomplish less with our lives than we could, for God or ourselves, if we made different decision. Often the easiest path is the one we choose rather than challenging ourselves to be more or live better, purer lives. We choose to eat the tuna fish sandwich when we could do better. Sadly, far too often, "We're kind of stupid that way." How about choosing the way which challenges you to be all that you can be for God, yourself and your fellow man!

 

Russ Lawson