Just yesterday, I saw a post on Facebook that had me questioning the wisdom of many people. As I read the post, I thought to myself, “What passes for wisdom these days is almost complete foolishness!”

Not wanting to be so judgemental, at the dinner table, I asked my children their thoughts on the post—their responses confirmed my initial thoughts. I figure if my younger children can see the flaws in the supposed logical reasoning that was presented in the Facebook post, it could not be such great wisdom. Yet the post received over a hundred likes and received almost fifty shares. What people receive as wisdom today is troubling.

I wanted to take a moment and encourage people; those who listen, read, or follow what other people put out as wisdom to be careful in accepting it as a wise thought.

We live in a world that allows any person to share their thoughts through countless numbers of social media platforms. An idea can pop into someone’s mind, and in a matter of seconds, that thought can be shared across the world. Anyone, just consider me, can have a blog. We can put a title on the page, and it seems that instantly we think ourselves to be an expert. It is a hard temptation to avoid.

However, it is crucial to the reader of all posts, whether they are a sentence or several pages long, to test what has been said. Taking a moment to process through the post is essential. Not everything that is said is true, not everything that is posted is wisdom. Sometimes, maybe more often than not, it is foolishness. It is upon the reader to determine, but the reader should test the post.

How should one test a post to see if it is true wisdom or complete foolishness? Here are several suggestions that I would offer:

1. Take a moment to consider what was said indeed. It may sound reasonable. I may even fit your theology of life. But it may not be accurate. Don’t let your personal beliefs keep you from seeing the truth.
2. Take a moment to talk through what was said. Everyone should have a person in their life that they can talk things through with. It might not hurt us to pause for a moment before we agree with something and ask someone else what they think. It might save you from embarrassment or accepting foolishness as wisdom.
3. Take a moment to check it with sources of authority. For the believer, the ultimate source of authority is the Bible. We should always check what a person says with what the Scriptures say. We can also check other sources of authority. Before we just blindly agree to check it out.

Everyone can have a voice. I love that! However, what everyone shares, including pastors, business leaders, authors, teachers, and others who are in places of influence, is not always true wisdom. Be wise and test it before you follow it.