Beginning in August, we are changing the name of Wisdom Works Live to STOP BEING A FOOL, and while the name may sound stronger, the mission behind it has not changed at all; in fact, I believe the new name simply says more clearly what we have been attempting to accomplish from the beginning. We are not studying Proverbs merely to become more knowledgeable about Proverbs. We are studying Proverbs because FOOLISHNESS IS EXPENSIVE, and nowhere do we pay a greater price for foolishness than in our relationships. A foolish decision can destroy years of trust. A foolish word can wound someone we love. A foolish friendship can influence the direction of our lives. A foolish marriage can produce consequences that reach into generations, and foolish ambition can cause us to begin looking at people, not as souls created in the image of God whom we are called to love wisely, but as opportunities to be USED for our own advancement. This is why today's Proverb arrested my attention: “He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.” Proverbs 22:16 KJV At first glance, these appear to be two completely different people, because the first man TAKES from someone while the second man GIVES to someone; the first appears selfish while the second may even appear generous, yet Solomon forces us to look beneath the behavior and examine something far more revealing. WHY are they doing what they are doing? The first man sees someone poorer and weaker than himself and asks, perhaps without ever saying it aloud, “How can this person benefit me?” The second man sees someone richer and more powerful than himself and essentially asks THE SAME QUESTION. One exploits weakness. The other courts strength. One uses the poor because they have LESS. The other favors the rich because they have MORE. Different behavior, but potentially the SAME FOLLY. This is why Relationship Wisdom requires more than learning communication techniques, resolving conflict, or getting along with difficult people. Relationship Wisdom is wise, ordered love under God, which means wisdom must govern not merely WHO I relate to, but WHY I relate to them the way that I do.