I know more than a handful of wise guys and smart a$$es. You know… the ones who have a snarky retort to nearly everything. The people who think sarcasm is a competitive sport.
I know other folks who think they’re quite bright… because they’ve got academic accolades and advanced degrees and such. They have capital letters behind their names… and inflated opinions of themselves. (Just ask them… and you’ll discover that they couldn’t possibly think more highly of their own brilliance.)
But I’ve always maintained the view that you don’t have to have a high IQ to be wise. Because wisdom is measured by posture, perspective, actions and attitude… not aptitude tests.
Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom… ~ James 3:13-15 (MSG)
In other words…
Don’t be a fool, yo.
All you have to do is scroll Twitter for five minutes to confirm there’s a whole horde of professors and PhDs (and senators and CEOs) sorely lacking in the wisdom department. Wisdom doesn’t discriminate based on access to – or level of – quality education.
(Nor does foolishness.)
In my experience, wisdom reveals itself most clearly in human interactions.
Want to know if a particular person possesses wisdom?
Sit back and listen.
Wondering whether someone else is a fool?
Observe awhile.
(And don’t forget… somebody’s undoubtedly watching you too.)
Here’s wisdom’s litmus test…
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ~ James 3:17 (NRSV)
Gosh…
There’s a real shortage of that ^ these days.
(All I want for Christmas is some wisdom… and maybe a few extra paper products.)
The truth is, if you really want wisdom, you have to source it directly. Go to God. Pray, ask, seek. Crack open the Good Book.
And your mind.
Sadly, a lot of folks refuse. They think they’re too smart for that.
Throughout human history the fingerprints of God were upon them, yet they refused to honor him as God or even be thankful for his kindness. Instead, they entertained corrupt and foolish thoughts about what God was like. This left them with nothing but misguided hearts, steeped in moral darkness. Although claiming to be super-intelligent, they were in fact shallow fools. ~ Romans 1:21-22 (TPT)
Remember that scene in ”The Matrix” when Neo gets to choose? Red pill or blue? Comfort… or clarity? Truth-induced freedom? Or (the unwitting bondage of) blissful ignorance?
You need to know when you don’t know.
Self-awareness means being willing to consider – and reconsider – your ideology. It means assessing your behaviors and decisions and being willing to make changes for the better. It means realizing you – like all the rest of us – still have a lot to learn. It means pondering whether you may have been wrong about some things.
Or Someone.
Because you know what wise people do?
They look for Jesus.
They don’t dismiss him as a fairy tale or figment of someone’s imagination. They don’t automatically reject him because he’s only for weaklings and wretches (like me). They take the time to investigate… and decide for themselves (rather than take someone else’s word for it).
When Jesus was born, scholars/sages/wise men went looking for him.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ~ Matthew 2:1-1 (NRSV)
It was a star – a light shining in the darkness of a sad/sorry/scary and sin-soaked world – that led them to incarnate wisdom:
Jesus.
And when they found him, they also found…
Hope.
(Boy, could we use a booster shot of that.)
There’s something exhilarating about chasing wisdom and following light and seeking truth, no matter how old you are. But here’s the hitch:
It requires a little humility.
Once you figure out you’re not all that… you can start getting to know the One who is.
I hope you will.
Wendy
P.S. My child, listen to what I say
and remember what I command you.
Listen carefully to wisdom;
set your mind on understanding.
Cry out for wisdom,
and beg for understanding.
Search for it like silver,
and hunt for it like hidden treasure.
Then you will understand respect for the Lord,
and you will find that you know God.
Only the Lord gives wisdom;
he gives knowledge and understanding.
He stores up wisdom for those who are honest.
Like a shield he protects the innocent.
He makes sure that justice is done,
and he protects those who are loyal to him. ~ Proverbs 2:1-8 (NCV)
That is the gift of Christmas… and a lifetime.
(And forever after.)
Wendy with a Why 