Wisdom

Have you thought about why we depend on our intelligence and not the Wisdom that comes from above? Why we cling on to our selfish pride when there is an easy way to just dial in to connect with God?

Often, we stay with our old habits and rely on our skills. We think if we can only master and learn to navigate through life everything will be smooth sailing. We network with people who we think would bring us to success, we read all these self-help books to boost our confidence and we keep ourselves busy to heighten our self-importance.  We are all guilty of this one way or another. 

We mistakenly think that solitude is a bad thing. We enjoy the constant noise around us. We feel that if we are not a part of what is out there that we do not exist. That we do not belong, and our solitude turns into isolation which turns to depression.  We forget that sometimes solitude can be a gift. A time for us to dial in to connect with God. 

I used to enjoy doing all these Conference Planning in my previous job. I hate to admit it, but I enjoyed the stress and the busyness. In my arrogance, I felt so important and needed all the time.  I used to think that people around me cannot function without me. I know that I had the skillsets that very few people have.  At one point, I was on top of my game. Have you experienced that? Have you felt so “cool” that you know that the show will not go on without your expertise?

It is great to feel needed, don’t you? It feeds into our ego. We feel so in control of everything around us. But are we?

In 2020, the pandemic brought us all into realization. It came to us so unexpected, it left us all bewildered – what was happening we asked? For a moment not just one person but all mankind was forced to stop when locked down was reinforced. I saw a video on YouTube showing popular tourist cities’ streets deserted – nothing is open, and no one is around.

Some people took this event as isolation that turned into depression. Some people started reassessing their lives, their priorities and even got the chance to look inside themselves and truly see who they are (I was one of them). What they want to change and how they will move forward in life.  Wow! It is amazing how one event can change us – can change our lives.  As we see events unfolding on news and in social media, we witnessed where people found their escape – here you can fill in the blanks.

I am blessed to be surrounded by good people in my life.  I found my escape by reading A.W. Tozer, Dallas Willard, C.S. Lewis, and The Bible (my personal favorite is Proverbs).  I am even fortunate to work in an environment that focuses on helping the Elderly. The pandemic taught me to set aside my arrogance, it gave me a perspective that we cannot plan everything in life because in a blink of an eye – life can change. I learned to love and put God first in my life. That each morning that I wake up is a blessing.  That I am completely nothing without Him.  At the end of the day, I thanked Him that He was with me helping me with my choices, with my work, and knowing that every skill and every wisdom that I have comes from Him. 

Do you know the definition of intelligence? “It is the capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding.” 

What about Wisdom?  “It is the knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment, or insights.”

And do you know that you can be intelligent and lack wisdom? For Wisdom only comes from God and from Him alone.

©fm4.23.21

Proverbs 2:1-22 ~

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,
 who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
whose paths are crooked
    and who are devious in their ways.

Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.
Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.

Thus, you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
For the upright will live in the land,
    and the blameless will remain in it;
but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.