"I Pity the Fool!"

Mr. T played B.A. Baracus in the original “A-Team” TV series back in the 80’s. Aaah, the 80’s ...not only did we have good music, but we also had good TV shows, like “The A-Team” and “Magnum P.I.”

Whenever I read Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, I hear the voice of Mr. T, and I’ll tell you why. So the verses are, “Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor. For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.”

B.A.’s famous quote from the TV series was “I pity the fool!” So here’s how I hear Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 in my head with Mr. T’s voice, “Two people are better than one, because they can work faster and smarter, and help each other out. For if they fall, one dude will help the other dude up, but I pity the fool who falls down and has no dude to help him up!” That is the way I hear it, in fact in a college Bible study I was asked to read these verses. You guessed it I read them with a Mr. T accent. The guys in the group busted out laughing. Unfortunately, the teacher did not think it was as funny, but I still remember the verse to this day, so maybe it was not all that bad.

It helps to hear it that way in my head because it makes me laugh, but it also reminds me how important it is to not only have good friends, but have good Christian friends. We are all sinners and we all stumble or fall at times. If we have a good Christian friend, he/she will help us up. They will also help keep us accountable and visa versa. Fool is sometimes the right term for this verse because sometimes it is our fault for not having that good Christian friend to help us up. We sometimes do not think about the spiritual level of people we want to be friends with. Then when we fall he/she is not willing to help us up. In fact, they may even laugh at us, gossip behind our backs, be embarrassed we fell, or ignore us.

So think about your closest friends. If/when you fall will they help you up …physically or spiritually? If not, then I pity you fool for not having anyone to help you up!

And if you do not know who Mr. T is then I have not done my job right as a Dad.

Love Ya,

Dad