Category: wisdom

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wisdom

Wisdom Leads to Joy

Wisdom Leads to Joy

To be wise is to learn what is important and what won’t matter in a few years. It is to be able to discern between the foolishness of short-term pleasure and long-term satisfaction. Wisdom leads to joy while foolishness leads to heartache and regret.

“Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.”

Proverbs 3:13 (NLT)

Someone may know how to manipulate and get their way in the short term. But what happens to the relationship with the duped victim? Another person may give in to a short-term addiction only to discover it ruins their life. None of us can predict the future. But wisdom can help us shape our future in ways that are predictable and tested through the ages.

Yesterday, I was listening to How Now Shall We Live? by Chuck Colson. In the book, he writes what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote this phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

United States Declaration of Independence

Colson’s assertion is that this opening phrase was never meant to be a license to hedonistic pleasure. John Stonestreet from the Colson Center also alludes to this and quotes Colson on a July 4, 2019, podcast. “Happiness” was not meant as an excuse to do whatever feels good. Instead, happiness comes from living a virtuous, wise life.

Wisdom causes us to pursue virtue. That pursuit leads to joy. My hope and prayer for everyone are that we take a long-term approach to life and pursue a wise life of virtue that leads to happiness and joy.

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wisdom

Prudence and Wisdom

Prudence and Wisdom

The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.

Proverbs 14:8

Prudence has come to mean something totally different in our culture. A prude is considered a killjoy that never has any fun. If you have a balloon, the prude will pop it. If there is any excitement, our culture believes a prudent person will quash it.

We idolize the startup that will “move fast and break things.” The minimal viable product is considered the best way to get something to market without it getting bogged down in experimentation, consideration, and tweaking. And sometimes that is a great way to move.

But there are other times when prudence is needed. Moving fast without planning can hurt. The story of Theranos and the ensuing trial shows what can happen when one moves too fast without a real plan or product that actually works.

The True Definition of Prudence

Prudence is less about being a killjoy and more about using planning, good judgment, and careful consideration in any venture. We need to have a plan before forging ahead. Moving fast doesn’t work if we are going in the wrong direction.

Prudence is taking caution and considering the outcomes. It is seeking and implementing advice where warranted. Just as there is such a thing as being too cautious, it is also possible to be too impulsive and spontaneous.

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

Proverbs 22:3

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Let’s use a little prudence in business and life.

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motivation wisdom

Getting Wisdom and Understanding

There is a big difference between believing you’ve gotten wisdom, and continually seeking wisdom. The minute you think you’ve arrived, that you’ve learned all you need to learn, then you become less and less wise.

Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.

Proverbs 4:7 NLT

There is always something new to learn. I have discovered I may have to relearn the same lesson from weeks, or even years ago. There may be a subtle insight to that lesson. Because I can never fully know every angle of a lesson, new understanding can transform what I thought was rock-solid truth.

Preconceived notions can backfire if you aren’t always willing to learn. Make sure you are getting wisdom and not believe you got wisdom a long time ago. You never know what new insight will transform the way you see and do things.

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webcomic wisdom

Why who you hang around with makes a difference

Spear 3975

Cartoon of two boys observing a dog. One boy says, “If he likes it that much, I think you should try it.”

Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. Proverbs 13:20

When I was a kid, I had met some friends in our town park. One of the boys in the group claimed he had eaten dog food before and it was delicious. He encouraged all of us to join him at his house and have a feast Fido would be proud of.

All of us knew this kid liked to brag and we also knew he had a tendency to kid other kids to do outlandish things. Still, for a moment, all of us were hesitant to turn him down. Nobody wanted to look like a coward.

One person you hang around with can make all the difference in where your life will head. If you’re in school, do you hang around with people who will bring out the best in you, or the worse? If you’re in business, do you hang out with people that will inspire you to move up and succeed or do they prod you to gripe and procrastinate?

Whatever group you hang out with, you will begin to exhibit some of the same characteristics of that group. Be careful who you hang out with!

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wisdom

What to Do?

Illustration of man with shrugging expression

Don’t you wish life really was like any blog or article that spews advice? Lately, top ten lists have been all the rage. Someone touts, “Here are the top ten things you need to do to get your kids to become little angels!”

I love watching parents at their kids’ games. You’ll hear someone shout, “Kick the ball, Dylan!” I have to giggle and wonder if the kid is thinking, “Well if it was that easy, Mom, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now?” It’s easier for the advisor to advise than for the advisee to follow the advice.

It’s too easy to spout advice. I am very guilty of that. But I must remember each bit of advice I give has to be tempered with grace and mercy. It’s easy to give parenting advice when you don’t really have to deal with the kid. It is sanctimonious for me to lecture a parent on how to handle a hyper, ADHD child when neither of my kids showed those symptoms.

Yes, I’ve learned doing the right think is neither easy nor simple as spouting advice.