Wisdom – Product of Years and Experience

Sometimes I wish we could walk down an aisle at Walmart or some big-box store and grab a large carton of Wisdom. You know, the stuff that enables you think through and evaluate situations and usually come up a reasonable solution or response? Or to formulate a balanced perspective on life's uncertainty and perpetual chaos.

 

Looking around our world, we might easily conclude that if wisdom were a commodity, then there’s been a serious disruption in the supply chain – because the shelves seem virtually empty. Maybe the good ship Wisdom is permanently moored offshore with its precious cargo stuck in the holds below decks.

The late author and biochemistry professor Isaac Asimov stated years ago, “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Things haven’t improved since then.

 

Wisdom, unfortunately, isn’t something you can order online or purchase at the local mall. And even for those who do possess a good measure of wisdom, they didn’t acquire it in bulk. They gained it one tiny bit after another, and usually not in rapid succession. Because wisdom is a product of years and experience. As someone has said, wisely I might add, “Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.” 

 

When my children were learning how to drive – as my grandchildren are now – my greatest concern was not their abilities and training, but the fact that you can’t teach experience. It comes only through time and the process of living life; consequently, wisdom also can be accumulated only over time. 

 

We typically must learn from our mistakes, hoping those mistakes aren’t bad ones. Novelist William Saroyan offered the insight that, “We get very little wisdom from success, you know.”

 

Fortunately, gaining wisdom isn’t solely the product of things we do. Our experiences also include things we see; what we observe. I’ve learned a lot from older, wiser people who understood far better than I did how life works – and how it doesn’t. Watching how they responded to circumstances, ranging from keeping their cool in times of crisis to their approach to handling personal finances, has helped me immeasurably. Some things are better caught than taught, I’ve discovered.

 

There’s one more way for gaining wisdom. Perhaps the best way of all – one that many people in our world apparently have little interest in. It’s the wisdom that comes only from God, and most commonly from reading and studying His Word, absorbing its truth and striving to put its teachings into practice.

 

As Proverbs 1:7 asserts, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 2:6 adds, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

 

How valuable is biblical wisdom? The Scriptures themselves put it this way: “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the main who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her” (Proverbs 3:13-15).

 

But as I’ve written before, decades ago our society began the process of eliminating thoughts of God from our collective conscience, and I believe we’re paying the price. In the Ten Commandments alone, if we were to consider and apply them consistently, would give us incredible wisdom in how to effectively address many of our world’s greatest problems, from poverty to violence to turmoil in our homes and workplaces. 

 

The Bible offers clear principles about finances, including avoiding debt, being diligent to save, living within our means, giving generously to help others, and recognizing that ultimately, God is the owner of everything. Imagine if the Federal government operated within those guidelines.

 

The alternative is described in Proverbs 10:14-15, “Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment. Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.” As the centuries-old adage tells us, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” We could arrive at similar conclusions about those who fail to seek and use wisdom in other key areas of life.

 

Godly wisdom doesn’t come easily, but neither is it withheld from us. It only demands a heart that is willing to submit to the Lord, acknowledging that “Father knows best.” As Proverbs 15:33 declares, “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”

Would that He might bless us with wise, humble leaders – and that we would seek to become humbly wise as well.