April 1st always brings back a mix of good and bad memories. It feels like it was just yesterday, yet it’s been decades since those school days when April Fool’s Day kept everyone on edge. We’d walk into the classroom with a heightened sense of awareness, carefully evaluating every conversation for hidden tricks, wondering if someone was trying to set us up. Our eyes would constantly scan the room, searching for signs—who was watching, who was listening, who was trying to hold back a laugh behind a serious face. We were all so cautious, trying not to fall for any pranks, lies, or be called an “April fool.” In the end, though, we’d often end up laughing—sometimes, even at ourselves!

But what happens when you step into the real world and realize you’ve truly been made a fool? When others take you for a ride—not with innocent pranks, but with carefully planned, deliberate actions? There are days when you can’t help but think, “I really do feel like a fool.” You pour months, even years, into helping someone, only for them to walk away as though you were never even there. You stood by them through every struggle—hiking alongside them to the mountaintop, tending to their wounds when they stumbled, offering your hand when they fell, motivating them when they were weary, and cheering them on every step of the way. Yet, when they finally reach the peak, feeling the rush of the wind against their face, they turn and leave you behind. You can’t help but feel like a fool, can you?

Husbands leave, wives walk away after years of intimacy, children fly away when you need them the most. Close relatives become bitter enemies over a property dispute. Trusted conversations are turned into gossip. Friends morph into foes. Unending lies that camouflage the truth. Smooth-talking salesmen lure you into cheap deals, with hidden traps in the fine print that were never meant to be read. A friendly phone call turns into a scam, draining your bank account. That victorious smile hides a vicious heart, the warm “hello” conceals hidden hate. The list goes on. And through it all, you hear the world echo, “Fool, fool, fool.”

I remember one such experience on April 1st, when I took on a challenging research project during my early postdoctoral years. The lab had been working for years on a gene expression study of the uterine wall, and I was tasked with offering a fresh perspective. After months of research, I uncovered a breakthrough—a discovery that no one had seen, something right under their noses. I shared the exciting news with my team, and they were initially thrilled. But instead of a collaborative celebration, it soon became an added burden. The discovery, confirmed through late-night experiments and documentation, only added more work to an already overloaded plate. Then, without warning, I was asked to resign. All my data was locked away, and the findings were published in a well-known journal—without my name anywhere on it. I was erased from the very discovery I made. No first author credit. No acknowledgment in the footnotes. It was a harsh, painful lesson in betrayal. Yes, it felt like I had become an April fool.

During that time, I turned to Joel Osteen’s first book, Your Best Life Now. One line stood out to me: “Take the high road. You don’t have to stoop to their level.” It struck me deeply. What if that discovery, even though it cost me so much, one day saved a woman’s life? Perhaps a woman suffering from uterine cancer or life-threatening bleeding years down the road would benefit from the research I’d contributed. Would it matter that my name was never on the paper? In that moment, I realized it didn’t matter. I had the privilege of uncovering something that could make a difference, and that was enough. Sometimes, being a “fool” means surrendering your ego for a higher purpose.

When we feel like we’ve been made a fool, the Bible offers guidance that defies human logic and emotion. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us a radically different approach to suffering and betrayal. He says:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. Blessed are you when people mock you and persecute you, when they lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because of me. Be happy about it. Be very glad, for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (Matthew 5: 10-12)

Jesus went around healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, making the lame walk, forgiving sinners, and feeding thousands. And yet, despite all the good He did, He was persecuted, spat upon, betrayed by His own people, and nailed to the cross, bleeding until His last breath. He willingly gave up His life for each of us, dying in our place to offer us salvation and reconcile us with the Father in the Holy of Holies.

If God Himself, in human flesh, could endure such torment, pain, and shame, we must accept that trials and tribulations will come. Jesus set the ultimate example by running His race and finishing it victoriously on the cross, because His sole purpose was to do the will of the Father, no matter the cost. His heart, full of compassion even for those who wronged Him, led Him to utter, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Even as I reflect on those words today, they pierce my heart with His goodness and mercy.

We forgive because God forgives, even when the world might call us fools for doing so. In the end, all the drama of life will come to an end— even for the conniving rich, the crafty, the sneaky successful, and the misdirecting influential. Trusting that the Lord fights our battles and will vindicate His faithful people in His own time, keeps us from stooping to the level of our persecutors. Instead, we can stand boldly and calmly, serving with grace and surrendering to please the ‘Audience of One’ above for our short time here on earth.

Don’t let the enemy fool you into forgetting your true identity as a Child of the Most High God. We are not ‘fools’ in God’s eyes. You were bought with a price! There is always a divine purpose, even in the pit or on the cross! A ‘forgiving’ fool can be as ‘free as you wanna be’ for the short ride on earth!

Bible Scripture

Jeremiah 17:10

But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

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