Wisdom is a magical concoction produced when you mix equal parts of painful experience with earnest reflection.
Proverbs 4:6-8
When I think of magic, I think of wizards, wands, and unicorns… or maybe Harry Potter.
Have you ever played the game where you’re given 3 wishes?
Most of us have. We usually start off by wishing for a gazillion dollars and then we might opt for something like a house made of gold.
Okay, you’re off to a great start but now, you’ve only got 1 wish left.
That’s when we pull out the “ace in the hole”. On our final wish, we wish for 3 more wishes.
Pretty smart, huh?
While it was fun to play the game, the Tiny Words. Big Life. question of the day is: Why is it that we never wish for something far more valuable than any of those? Something that money can’t buy…
Wisdom.
In today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verse, King Solomon is urging the people of Israel to listen to what he is saying. Here’s a man that had a gazillion dollars. He had a house made of gold. But in spite of his wealth, he wanted the people of Israel to seek wisdom more than anything else.
Today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. quote refers to wisdom as a magical concoction. Why is that? It’s because we don’t really know how it happens. It sort of comes out of thin air. One day, we’re faced with a difficult situation and don’t know what we should do about it. As we ponder our options… Poof! Wisdom surfaces and provides the insight to make the best decision or give the best advice.
We all know that painful experiences are the best teacher. That’s not to say we can’t learn things without getting hurt but we tend to remember things that do hurt. It’s just human nature.
The other part of the magical concoction of wisdom is “earnest reflection”. By this I mean, we have to look at our experiences with a desire to glean the good things out of a bad outcome. We can’t hold on to anger, blame, or even the sting of our own failure – if we’re to learn from our mistakes.
The Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is this: Pray to see your painful experiences as opportunities for growth. Pray for release from the feelings of guilt, anger, and shame that prevent you from seeing your experiences as something done to you but rather done for you.
To close today’s post, let’s have a little fun and use our imagination.
Think of your house… Inside the house, you have a closet. Inside the closet hangs a custom-fitted wizard suit. On a shelf above the suit, lies a magic wand. Out in your backyard, there’s a unicorn grazing on your St. Augustine grass.
Got the picture?
In a sense, we actually have those things. But it’s not magic – it’s better than that.
It’s the promises of God.
He didn’t promise a gazillion dollars or a house made of gold here on earth. He did promise; however, if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and live according to His commandments, we’ll walk on streets of gold and live forever with Him in a place beyond anything we can ever imagine or wish for.
Sounds pretty magical to me…
Proverbs 4:6-8
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.