Since I was 16 this is my first summer without a job or internship, I always had something to do and thinking back the other day I remembered been 16 years old and getting paid $16.00 an hour just to play bingo, go fishing, watch movies, attend baseball games with clients from the nursing home. I spent countless hours just sitting and interacting with the clients as they share their past and experience. At the moment it was just a job but after that summer I realize how much i learned from the men and women I worked with. Sadly today we live in a culture that reveres the youth and the older generation are kept away and ignore in nursing homes/group homes. These men and women have experience life the good and the bad but they don't get to share that wisdom they have.
A while back my teacher asked what is wisdom? I blurted out with 200% conviction in me that "Wisdom is the principal thing." I remembered him laughing right after I said it. Till today he never forgot and occasionally use it to joke around with me. It was the bible definition that I have been thought many years ago and it was almost like defining faith as the act of faith.
I find it somewhat irritating when many confuse wisdom with Knowledge. I got the definitions of wisdom and knowledge below from the oxford dictionary
Wisdom - the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
Knowledge - facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education.
Mathematically speaking, Knowledge = correct information + understanding (No matter how many books you have read it is nothing without understanding) and being able to apply that knowledge = wisdom.
Now the elderly may not have even attended high school during their age but there is still a good number of wise ones among and at the same time there are people that may have bachelor, masters or even PhD and the term wise cannot be use to describe them.
2 Types of wisdom?
James 3:13-18
Worldly wisdom- verse 14 describe it as full of bitter jealously and selfish ambition in the hearts, this wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. Earthly wisdom i would say is the one that we gain from school or any form of education. This is great but may not be an all round wisdom. The devilish and unspiritual wisdom I will say include that type of wisdom to do evil things in a smart way e.g 419/feudalism.
Wisdom from above - This is the greatest wisdom and it is a gift from the Lord. Now this wisdom from according to James 3:17 - "... is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere" This wisdom kept Daniel safe in the lions den, it turn Joseph from prisoner to minister and basically distinguish you from several people around you. I mean I have definitely read blogs by people that I'm just like wow this is indeed God's wisdom.
How do you get this wisdom?
It clearly cannot be bought rather it is a Divine endowment from God. It is one of the gift of the holy spirit and if you desire it you can definitely get it. "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you - James 1:5"
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2)
If you said yes to my first two questions of this post let me leave you with one more question. It is the wisdom from above or below?
Have a great week!
Much loves
Ms. YSU
I really do appreciate each an every readers and followers of my blog as I continue on the journey to learning and writing and teaching myself.
