Being cautious, but not *too* cautious

In regard to evil, be infants (1 Corinthians 14:20).

There’s a difference between acting stupid and being naïve. If you know that thieves have been stealing from homes in your neighborhood, it is stupid to leave your doors unlocked at night. If a politician is caught taking bribes, it is foolish to reelect him for another term.

But naïveté is different. Being naïve just means that you haven’t experienced the worst this world has to offer. Children trust everyone to speak the truth—until someone lies to them. A young girl believes that love will last forever—until the first time she is dumped. A young man thinks his dad is perfect—until the first time he sees Dad make a serious error in judgment. Each time we are hurt or let down, we lose some of our innocence—our naïveté.

Usually, calling someone naïve is an insult—it’s like saying, "you should have known better." There’s an old saying that goes, "fool me once, shame on you—fool me twice, shame on me." As we experience life, it is assumed that we will develop personal defenses. We will get better at spotting suspicious behavior. We will improve our ability to detect half-truths and lies. We will develop tough skins that can shrug off hurtful words. If we don’t develop our defenses, some will pity us, while others will look for ways to take advantage.

But a certain amount of naïveté can be a good thing. Do you want to grow so suspicious of others that you automatically assume the worst about their motives? I don’t want to live like that. I don’t want to expect the worst from others; I want to find and encourage the good things they can do. That requires some amount of naïveté.

Paul wrote, In regard to evil, be infants. It is good to be naïve when it comes to evil things. Wouldn’t it be great if no one had any interest in pornography? Imagine a world where no one got curious about illegal drugs. Sometimes we’re better off being ignorant of hurtful things.

Sadly, everyone in the world is touched by evil. We do need to be on our guard, especially if we have children to protect. But don’t trade naïveté for paranoia; God made us to enjoy life, not to be afraid of it.