Wisdom for Life

“Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”— Proverbs 8:10-11

This week I bought the graduation cake for my son.

It will be decked out with colored frosting, spray frosting, logos, piping, and who knows what else…. As I sat in the bakery consultation area and looked at larger, more impressive cakes of grandeur, cakes with multi-layers, and mortar boards and photos, I wondered how this whole eighteen years feels like it translates into something made of sugar, eggs, and flour.

As I have watched my son grow and change, both in heart and body, I rest assured that he is ready to move on, yet starting some big changes in life. And the thing I want him to have most, truly, is a faith in a loving God and wisdom for life.

Wisdom is something we don’t hear much about in our culture and society. In our desire for instant gratification, action, visual images, constant digital connection, and ability to tout “self” through our social media, it seems that wisdom is an old, antiquated term, reserved for monks and hermits and people who are out of touch with the world. But is it possible to have wisdom in this culture? I sure hope so, because we as a people desperately need it.

A few years ago I was going through a challenging time and a pastor friend gave me a polished stone with the word “Wisdom” carved in it. I kept it in my pocket awhile, then somehow dropped it on the ground and it got a chip in it. Now it’s in my jewelry box where it can’t get ruined. I sometimes think wisdom is like that in life. It gets chipped away by culture and society and loses its shape, and we often tuck it away and don’t use it.

That’s why I like the description of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. Written by Solomon to his son, he imparts wise teachings to help him get through life and be successful in God’s eyes. Wisdom springs from God, and when we tap into God’s wisdom, we can find ourselves at peace with God and the world. It truly is more precious than anything we can find in this place.

Where do you need wisdom in your life today? Where does your wisdom come from, the world, or from God? Unwrap God’s wisdom, open it up, try it out. You may find it’s just what you are looking for!

Prayer–“Gracious God, help me to live with wisdom from you. Help me to use it and not put it away into a safe place. Protect it from getting chipped and infuse it into my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”