Get Wisdom

 My parents especially appreciate the book of Proverbs; they always have. Needless to say, their special appreciation for the wisdom found there produced a special emphasis in their parenting. Things like common sense, hard work, frugality, and choosing good friends were discussed and reinforced often. I look back on this emphasis with gratitude and love, seeing that many of those ideas became values, and those values combined to form significant and positive aspects of my lifestyle. 

That being said, anything my parents pushed me toward, I was prone to avoid when I got the chance. This has (unfortunately) applied to the book of Proverbs, which I have avoided so far in my short adult life. That is, until this last week. 

Mom and Dad, you were right. Proverbs is worth my time. I've been specifically impacted by the repetitive emphasis on the wisdom of silence. 

All of you know me. All of you know that I love to talk, especially if I think I hold some kind of valuable information that others don't. I don't feel a need to talk just for the sake of talking, but if I feel like I am wise in some area, I want to tell people. This tree has several roots. 

1. I'm proud. I want people to know that I know something they don't know and I want them to be impressed that I know it. God save me from this. 

2. We live in a "speak your mind" world. Before the internet age, there were limits and gatekeepers for the propagation of information. There were limits to how many people one could reach with whatever they were trying to say. Even if you had the diligence and persistence to write a book or an article, and even if it was good enough to get published, your circle of influence was still limited. Publishers could only print so many copies, only so many people had the resources to buy it, etc. There were also gatekeepers. Any information that became available to the public was read and reread by many people who at least knew left from right and up from down. Today, there are no limits or gatekeepers, which has changed everything. The metric for whether or not you should say something is whether or not you think you have something to say. Not something valuable or constructive or original or significant to say, just something. Not something others think you ought to say, something you want to say. Unlimited. Unfettered. I admit that I have been drawn in by this kind of attitude.

3. I want to help people. At some level, I usually think that the thing I want to say will be helpful. I'm not saying this is the only or even the primary root, but it's down there somewhere. 

I'll sum it up like this: I tend to think that saying wise things makes me wise, but Proverbs disagrees. According to proverbs, "The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight." (Prov. 4:7) Does anybody else think that's a little funny? I do, but I also think it rings deeply true. Wise people aren't those who dispense wisdom. Wise people are those who acquire. Go ahead and read that again. Those two things are exactly the opposite. 

As I seek to acquire wisdom, I'm encouraged by James. The process of getting wisdom is simple and accessible to the simplest among us. It relies not on our ability but on the unrestrained generosity of God (James 1:5). Let's stop pretending to give wisdom and starting asking to get it.