Did you read the book, Who Moved My Cheese? Published over twenty years ago, it’s a tiny volume, a modern fable with relevance today.
The four characters discover that the cheese they’ve come to rely on is no longer there. Two of them immediately search out “new cheese,” but the two others, rightly named Hem and Haw, are first resentful, then fearful, and then despondent over the changes in their world.
I’ll bet you know where this is going. Right. There are biblical principles embedded in this secular allegory. Solomon, speaking on behalf of wisdom (Proverbs 1:32, 33) puts it like this:
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.
Let’s draw out four vital lessons from Solomon’s words.
1. Wisdom is readily available but must be heard and heeded.
2. The wise thrive in relative security with adequate provision.
3. Fools are willfully complacent and aren’t paying attention.
4. Complacency leads to fearfulness, want, and destruction.
The Bible never suggests that hard times won’t come, or that good people won’t be affected. Just the opposite. But a fool feels entitled and is terrified when his little world implodes. The wise man expects turmoil, knows that with God’s help, he can prepare to manage change, and trusts God to guide him through the unexpected.
Wisdom begins with knowing and trusting God (Proverbs 1:7). The wise pay attention to what is happening, and, by faith, adapt to their God-ordained circumstances. Adapting means replacing any turn-by-turn complacency with map-and-compass savvy.
We’ll explore why in Part Three.
“Father, we thank you for the availability of your wisdom! May your people help lead their families and communities out of our current dilemma, in the name of Jesus. Amen.”