Folly and the Work of New Hearts

Let us pray that their hearts would experience the joy of being freed from the folly of this world.

By: Ansley Bonaventure, Middle School Principal

In our parent meetings last evening, we discussed chapter 9 of Parenting by Paul David Tripp: “Foolishness.” Tripp gets straight to the point when he writes, “The foolishness inside our children is more dangerous to them than the temptation outside of them.” Do we really believe that? And how would we know whether we do? After sitting with this question for a while, I think the answer is revealed in how we spend the currency of our time.

As parents, it is easy to long for things that are measurable in our children: good behavior, strong grades, a team victory, or a flawless performance on stage. But God’s Word tells us that what is guaranteed is foolishness. Scripture makes this clear. Proverbs 22:15 states, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child.” This is what we are promised, not simply a tendency toward foolishness, but a heart bound by it. And in case we are tempted to think our child is less foolish than another, God reminds us, “They have all fallen away… there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 53:3). Tripp captures it well: “It is more natural for your children to deny God’s existence than it is for them to humbly recognize it and submit to his holy demands on their lives.” Their natural inclination is toward folly because their hearts are bound by it.

A NEW HEART

Their only hope is not better behavior. Their only hope is the same hope that rescued our souls: “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). God has given us a new heart. He has removed the folly that once bound us and replaced it with a heart that is alive. I love that Tripp emphasizes it is not a perfect heart, but a new one. We still struggle with sin, yet through Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we are cleansed, whole, and made new. 

Currency of time

So back to our currency, our time. Are we focused primarily on our children’s behavior or on their hearts? Do we spend our time polishing their reputations, or do we devote ourselves to praying for their hearts? Do we want their outward appearance to shine with worldly or even church-like goodness while their hearts remain hardened and self focused? Or are we bold enough to ask God to expose their folly, to allow them to be caught in their sin, so that we can point them to their need for a Savior? Jesus told us that the well do not need a doctor, only the sick do. As a covenant family, let us spend our time in prayer for our children and for all the children in our school. Let us pray that their hearts would experience the joy of being freed from the folly of this world and the peace that a new heart brings.

It can feel frightening to be honest about the condition of the heart, but God is not afraid. He is faithful. He has already told us what lies within. So why do we devote so much effort to the outward appearance of obedience if the heart remains bound by sin?

The best use of the time He has entrusted to us is to be honest about what is inside our children and to bring their hearts before the Lord. The pressures of the world will continue, but with a new heart that knows deep forgiveness and true wholeness, our children are set free to do exactly what God has called them to do, to worship Him and enjoy Him forever.