Blogger Bob Bly has assembled what he listed as the 10 wisest things he’s ever heard:
- You play the hand you’re dealt.
- Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
- There is no “try.” There is only do or not do. (Yoda)
- It’s not just what happens to you; it’s also how you handle it.
- Be happy while you’re living, for you’re a long time dead. (Scottish proverb)
- Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
- Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.
- Life is unfair.
- Be second, not first; the pioneers are the ones who get arrows in their backs.
- Live below your means.
I don’t agree with all of the above perspectives, but I do see the value of discovering wise principles to guide our living.
The wiser we grow, the better our thinking, the better our choices and the better our outcomes.
Solomon, of course, saw the value of wisdom as exceeding any other earthly objective and, when given the choice early in his reign, chose to gain wisdom from God rather than gold.
It was a wise choice that not only brought him a divine tsunami of insight but also, later, brought a tsunami of wealth.
Here’s Solomon’s take on the importance of wisdom:
“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!” (Proverbs 4:7)
He wasn’t trying to be a smart-aleck. Very simply, Solomon was directing us to put the pursuit of helpful, honorable knowledge at the top of our mind’s shopping list.
It’s much like a retired, successful farmer telling his young adult grandson that buying more seed is one of the smartest things he could do.
For without the seeds, their can be no harvests.
Join me in seeking more wisdom today, whether in a time of prayer to the Author of wisdom or from personal Bible reading or with reading of a Christian book or in a conversation with a mature Christian friend.
I’ve learned so much over the years and I realize that, to be more effective for the Lord and for my loved ones, the wisest thing I can do is to pursue more wisdom.
I’m under conviction about this today. My challenges and opportunities are greater than my mind. Yours are, too.
Let’s do the wisest thing we can do.
As always, I love you
Martin
