“Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are
those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my
doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms
himself; all who hate me love death.” (Proverbs 8:32-36)
Wisdom
says “This is what you should do.
And if you’re like me, the most-polite response is, “Yeah, I know, but….” I’ve said it before, wisdom is hard. There are no participation awards. Everyone is welcome, but no one gets special consideration because they come from a disadvantaged background. In fact, being from a disadvantaged background is the special consideration, because having grown up in a school of hard knocks can build a better foundation for wisdom than a “silver spoon” upbringing. We might not do the underprivileged a favor in “helping” them if our help turns them into as big a fools as we are. Wisdom deals with reality as it is, not as we think it should be. It doesn’t suppose that by thinking positively, we can make reality behave as we wish.
Wisdom begins with God is God and we are not. Yes, He is a God who loves us, but that doesn’t mean that He changes the laws by which the universe functions to make us happy. Gravity works. Calories do count. Life isn’t fair. Bad things happen to good people. The first step to wisdom, quite often, is to bow the knee. As long as you think you get to dictate the rules by which you are going to play the game, you are going to lose. I’ve proved it over and over in my life, and I’ve seen it proved in the lives of those around me.
When real life gets in your face, that’s when you have the opportunity to gain wisdom.
And if you’re like me, the most-polite response is, “Yeah, I know, but….” I’ve said it before, wisdom is hard. There are no participation awards. Everyone is welcome, but no one gets special consideration because they come from a disadvantaged background. In fact, being from a disadvantaged background is the special consideration, because having grown up in a school of hard knocks can build a better foundation for wisdom than a “silver spoon” upbringing. We might not do the underprivileged a favor in “helping” them if our help turns them into as big a fools as we are. Wisdom deals with reality as it is, not as we think it should be. It doesn’t suppose that by thinking positively, we can make reality behave as we wish.
Wisdom begins with God is God and we are not. Yes, He is a God who loves us, but that doesn’t mean that He changes the laws by which the universe functions to make us happy. Gravity works. Calories do count. Life isn’t fair. Bad things happen to good people. The first step to wisdom, quite often, is to bow the knee. As long as you think you get to dictate the rules by which you are going to play the game, you are going to lose. I’ve proved it over and over in my life, and I’ve seen it proved in the lives of those around me.
When real life gets in your face, that’s when you have the opportunity to gain wisdom.
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