If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5
Sounds too easy. And too good to be true. But I believe it with all my heart. God has given us everything we need to sustain life — all without us asking for it. Wisdom, on the other hand, requires a genuine relationship with him.
How do you know when you lack wisdom? That’s easy. Because you act stupid. The signs are all there. You make mistakes. You react badly. You say and do things that you regret. Those around you can’t understand you, or don’t like you. You feel depressed, or angry, or sad or afraid. It affects not only your outlook on life; it also hinders relationships.
Wisdom is more than just head smarts. More than having all the answers to all the questions. Wisdom is a process of understanding the questioner, as well as the question. Lord Tennyson said, “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.”
King Solomon was offered whatever his heart desired, but he prayed for wisdom rather than wealth or power. As a result he got it all — in abundance. His prayer was answered, but toward the end of his life it appeared that wisdom had eluded him. He compromised his faith in the One who had given him wisdom in the beginning. His life became meaningless.
So we can ask for it freely, with no strings attached. What we do with it is another matter. And it’s not a one-time grand prize. We will likely have to ask for it over and over. Because our pride and selfishness will hinder its effective use. We sometimes have to exhaust other attempts at life in order to recognize the wisdom given us. “Wisdom is what’s left after we’ve run out of personal opinions,” remarks American salesman Cullen Hightower. Now, I don’t have a heart toward salesmen of any kind, but that’s a great reflection.
God has given us the freedom to choose. As the verse says, he’s always ready to smarten us up whenever we have exhausted our own pitiful resources. His love is like that. He is the Ultimate Father. His children will eventually arise and go to him. I have wonderful daughters and grandsons. May I have the wisdom to enlarge their understanding of life and love.
Read more about: relationship, wisdom
May 13th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
True. Proverbs 8 and 9 have a lot of good stuff on wisdom. Stupidity, however, can fool us into thinking that we are using wisdom, when, in fact, we are acting out of foolish pride and packaging it with “intelligent” thoughts. Wisdom apart from our continuing recognition of the active presence of God is just foolishness.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I think we can all just assume we need more wisdom and go ahead and ask for it whether or not we see our own stupidity. In essence, Solomon’s request was like the man using his one wish to ask for infinite wishes. Wisdom transforms your work, your relationships, your money, and your heart.