A Fool’s Dream — A Wise Vision

I love finding obscure verses of Scripture, such as Proverbs 17:24:

“Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.” 

Now, what is the meaning of a fool’s eyes in the ends of the earth? 

G. Campbell Morgan sheds light on this verse: “...the preacher of olden times declared that the eyes of the fool are in the ends of the earth, and thereby indicated the unutterable folly of gazing at the far distances while the near and the immediate is neglected…”

Clarke, another favorite theologian wrote, “Wisdom is within the sight and reach of every man: but he whose desires are scattered abroad, who is always aiming at impossible things, or is of an unsteady disposition, is not likely to find it.” 

As I ponder the meaning of Proverbs 17:24, my thoughts take me to my early twenties. At that time, my mind was overflowing with so many ideas that I found myself distracted from the tasks that were before me. Sometimes our thoughts can be so full of our future dreams that we neglect the present. However, it is the focus of the present that prepares us for our future. 

Joseph for example was preoccupied with his dreams about the future. His dreaming not only got him into trouble with his brothers, it got him sold as a slave in Egypt. I was a dreamer as a kid too. In school I was always getting into trouble because of my excessive imagination. The problem with dreamers is that they restrict accomplishment. Dreamers spend so much time in their imagination that can’t stay focused on real and valuable accomplishments. The reason for this is that dreams come from an imagination with a minimal amount of knowledge. Dreams however, can turn into vision when there is an accumulation of knowledge, particularly knowledge that connects with one’s interests and passions. 

When I was a child I loved to tell stories. I had a very active imagination but since my imagination was not based upon knowledge or objective truth I accomplished very little. My work ethic was lacking because I couldn’t stay focused on present responsibilities. Because I lacked knowledge, my dreams/imagination lacked substance and therefore led to fantasies that were shaped by exaggeration and unproductive pursuits. These fantasies kept me distracted until I was 22 years of age. When I was 22, something significant took place that would change my focus and turn my dreams into a vision and plan for the future—a plan that would take my storytelling passion to levels that defied the imagination! 

At 22 I came to know Jesus as my Savior and would read my very first book—the Bible! After reading through the Bible, which I couldn’t put down, I then began to read biographies and stories that later became the Lamplighter family-collection of rare books. The Bible, biographies, and Lamplighter stories changed my character, made my comprehension soar, and gave me a vision for the future that was based on newly acquired objective truth that was rooted in the Word of God.

I wonder what my high school English teacher would think if she knew that I would become a publisher! God certainly has a sense of humor. Only God can turn foolishness into Wisdom. For, “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.”