https://formedbyjesus.com/peacemaking/people-of-peacemaking/ PROVERBS 1 Four kinds of people. Wisdom begins with knowing who is actually in the room. 01 The simple is the untrained. Open, inexperienced, easily influenced: not evil, just unformed. The simple absorb the values of whoever surrounds them. When someone sins against you, it's worth asking: did they actually know better? Sometimes they truly didn't. That doesn't make the sin okay, but it changes how you respond. REQUIRES TRAINING Patience, and someone to show them the way of Jesus. 02 The young is the unproven. This isn't only about age; it's about experience. The unproven know the right answers but haven't faced the pressure that tests them. They know suffering requires faith, but they've never walked through devastating loss. Knowledge can be gained in a moment. Wisdom is proven over years of pressure. REQUIRES OPPORTUNITY Room to try, fail, and grow. 03 The fool is the unteachable. Proverbs doesn't treat foolishness as harmless immaturity but as a heart that resists God's wisdom. A fool doesn't just reject correction; they reject you for giving it. They'll blame-shift and change the narrative, keeping you focused on the details of the conflict so you never address the condition of their heart. REQUIRES BOUNDARIES There is a place for drawing the line. 04 The wise is the unoffendable. The wise are never the perfect ones; they're the teachable ones. They learn to love correction. They'd rather be righteous than be right. And being unoffendable isn't about never feeling offended. It's about refusing to let offense make your decisions. REQUIRES HONOR Don't spend all your time trying to fix fools while ignoring the wise voices God has already placed in your life.