Stupid is as Stupid Does
Stupid is as Stupid Does
Have you ever done something stupid? Stupid question - of course you have. You’re human. Stupidity is as inherent to humans as any other adjective we could attribute to our actions. Doing stupid stuff doesn’t make you stupid; it makes you human.
Many of our mistakes could be (and probably should be) filed away as stupid. Mistakes with money. Mistakes with words. Mistakes with actions. We’ve all bought things we didn’t need, said things we shouldn’t have said, and done things we shouldn’t have done. Life is full of lessons, and the longer we live the more we should learn.
The reality is, stupidity isn’t used to describe or challenge our intellect, but our actions - our decisions. “You are what you do” is defining in the sense of the moment. It is defining in the sense of looking back at past actions or decisions or words or conversations or ideologies, and realizing that mistakes were made.
Luckily, God often times will offer us retakes on our mistakes. And the funny thing about both mistakes and retakes is they both require “takes.” They both require action. You have a choice in how you apply both words to your life. You can be defined by mistakes, or you can be refined by them.
Being defined by past mistakes will make you continue down that path and keep repeating…as history so often does. Being refined by past mistakes means we saw or see the error we made in that moment and choose to change and grow so that if or when the situation happens again, we get a retake and change the mistake.
That’s growth. And that’s what life is all about - growth. Jesus grew in stature before God and man. Yes, He was perfect. Yes, He was all wise and all knowing. But… He grew. He learned. He applied. And we can and should too.
It’s smart to learn from your own mistakes. It’s wise to learn from someone else’s. It’s stupid to not learn at all. This isn’t just cute, it’s biblical. Proverbs 20:11 says, “Even a child is known by what they do.”
I don’t think that verse is about children at all. Solomon was writing to his sons but also to all the sons of Israel. He’s talking to adults about adults. If even kids are known and labeled by what they do, how much more are adults?
And the verse goes on to imply that it is not just action, but intention that matters too. Why you did or said something is just as important as what you did. Because if you don’t change the “why,” it’s gonna be really difficult to change the “what.” If you don’t change the intention, it’s gonna be really difficult to change the action.
This is why Paul talks about the renewing of your mind in Romans 12:2. Transformation comes from the word that we use to get metamorphosis. Yes, like a caterpillar into a butterfly. But this only happens in us through the renewing of the mind. Change from the inside out. To renew your thoughts brings this transformation.
Your motives and intentions lie in the heart, but it’s your head that will lie to your heart. This is why we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Because if we don’t, we will be obedient to self - to the flesh. And as we’ve already discussed, it’s that old flesh that acts in stupidity.
Actions influence (if not determine) outcomes. So, if you don’t like what you’re getting out, check what you’re putting in.
Let’s leave stupid in the past. Let it refine us as we move forward in becoming more like Christ. Transformation is a process. Metamorphosis can be a painful process. Learning from our stupidity can also be a painful process. But none of those are as painful as regret.
Have you ever done something stupid? Stupid question - of course you have. You’re human. Stupidity is as inherent to humans as any other adjective we could attribute to our actions. Doing stupid stuff doesn’t make you stupid; it makes you human.
Many of our mistakes could be (and probably should be) filed away as stupid. Mistakes with money. Mistakes with words. Mistakes with actions. We’ve all bought things we didn’t need, said things we shouldn’t have said, and done things we shouldn’t have done. Life is full of lessons, and the longer we live the more we should learn.
The reality is, stupidity isn’t used to describe or challenge our intellect, but our actions - our decisions. “You are what you do” is defining in the sense of the moment. It is defining in the sense of looking back at past actions or decisions or words or conversations or ideologies, and realizing that mistakes were made.
Luckily, God often times will offer us retakes on our mistakes. And the funny thing about both mistakes and retakes is they both require “takes.” They both require action. You have a choice in how you apply both words to your life. You can be defined by mistakes, or you can be refined by them.
Being defined by past mistakes will make you continue down that path and keep repeating…as history so often does. Being refined by past mistakes means we saw or see the error we made in that moment and choose to change and grow so that if or when the situation happens again, we get a retake and change the mistake.
That’s growth. And that’s what life is all about - growth. Jesus grew in stature before God and man. Yes, He was perfect. Yes, He was all wise and all knowing. But… He grew. He learned. He applied. And we can and should too.
It’s smart to learn from your own mistakes. It’s wise to learn from someone else’s. It’s stupid to not learn at all. This isn’t just cute, it’s biblical. Proverbs 20:11 says, “Even a child is known by what they do.”
I don’t think that verse is about children at all. Solomon was writing to his sons but also to all the sons of Israel. He’s talking to adults about adults. If even kids are known and labeled by what they do, how much more are adults?
And the verse goes on to imply that it is not just action, but intention that matters too. Why you did or said something is just as important as what you did. Because if you don’t change the “why,” it’s gonna be really difficult to change the “what.” If you don’t change the intention, it’s gonna be really difficult to change the action.
This is why Paul talks about the renewing of your mind in Romans 12:2. Transformation comes from the word that we use to get metamorphosis. Yes, like a caterpillar into a butterfly. But this only happens in us through the renewing of the mind. Change from the inside out. To renew your thoughts brings this transformation.
Your motives and intentions lie in the heart, but it’s your head that will lie to your heart. This is why we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Because if we don’t, we will be obedient to self - to the flesh. And as we’ve already discussed, it’s that old flesh that acts in stupidity.
Actions influence (if not determine) outcomes. So, if you don’t like what you’re getting out, check what you’re putting in.
Let’s leave stupid in the past. Let it refine us as we move forward in becoming more like Christ. Transformation is a process. Metamorphosis can be a painful process. Learning from our stupidity can also be a painful process. But none of those are as painful as regret.
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My mom was a faithful saint who died at 98. She used to chuckle and say, " Lord, am I done learning yet?!" I guess we never are! 💕