Sand

A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both. Proverbs 27:3 ESV

If you've spent a day on the beach building sandcastles, you know that sand is weighty! One grain might be nothing, but the culmination of moving all that sand makes muscles tired! If you're a builder or stonemason, you'll know all about the heaviness of stones! 

But something's weightier than both, and that's a fool's provocation. If you've ever come on the wrong side of an online troll, the truth of this proverb will weigh heavily upon you. Fools dedicate themselves to getting under people's skin purely to irritate and annoy them. 

We have an untrue saying in English- "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". Sadly, a fool's provocation can hurt, like having someone throwing stones or sand at you. Physical wounds tend to heal quicker than emotional ones. 

If you get tired playing in the sand or building with stones, you need to give it a rest. Fools and their provocations don't rest, so harsh as I always think it sounds, we need to avoid such toxic people if possible. Otherwise we need to pray for the grace to endure them if they're unavoidable. 

"Most wise God, please give us the grace to deal with fools in our lives. And so may You be honoured in our lives, for Jesus' sake, amen"