Seeking Wisdom

4.29.2013


My house is quiet. The kids are finally in bed, and I can breathe deeply again. It's been long day. As I sweep my kitchen floor for the last time today, I contemplate the direction my life is headed, and I plead with God for wisdom. 

Parenting requires wisdom. Relationships require wisdom. Life requires wisdom! Today I found myself once again stuck between a rock  and a hard place, desperate to do the right thing and just sinful enough to hate doing it. (and no, I'm not talking about sweeping the kitchen floor.)

I needed wisdom.

Not just the knowledge of right and wrong (although sometimes I need that too), but the grace and strength to do it. I need the divinely inspired knowledge presented in God’s Word, and I need to know how to use it. Wisdom is knowledge in action. It’s knowing the right thing to do and discerning the appropriate time to do it.

But yet so often I find myself lost and confused in a sea of choices. Right or left? Up or down? In or out?  

I just want to follow Jesus! And today, He silently he led me to Proverbs 2.
My son, if you receive my words,And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understandingIf you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasuresThen you will understand the fear of the LordAnd find the knowledge of GodFor the Lord gives wisdom;  From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
So often I find myself unprepared for the battles in life. I don’t spend enough time digging into the Word of God, treasuring His commands, applying them to my heart, and crying out for discernment. So when temptation hits, struggles comes, and questions loom in my heart, I find myself desperately seeking answers. I turn to friends for advice, google for how-to videos, and self-help books seeking to diagnose and treat my problems (in 3 simple steps no less!).

And while these are all great ways to get lots of information, none of them compare to the wisdom that only comes from God, the One who created the world and everything in it. So how do we get this wisdom? 


Only then will we have the knowledge and understanding necessary to discern all the information the world has to offer. Only then will we be able to clearly see the path God has chosen for us. 

However, this process takes time, as I am painfully reminded again and again. I need to spend more time in prayer and less time worrying about the decisions that weigh me down. I need to make time daily to seek after the hidden treasures of God, listening to the only true source of wisdom. 

And as I seek to grow these disciplines in my life, it’s my utmost desire that someday those who look at me will finally see that Godly woman I so long to be. 

A beautiful woman speaking in kindness and with great wisdom.
 “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.” Proverbs 31:26

3 comments:

  1. I love this, Katherine. It feels like I'm so desperate for God's help and His wisdom every single moment. Question: Do you think God giving us His wisdom can be applied for practical everyday things, and not just spiritual wisdom? For example, my husband and I are trying to sleep train our two month old and we're having ups and downs. On the down days, when I'm really tired, I feel like asking God to give me wisdom about how to help my son sleep seems silly...And yet, I'm pleading with Him all day to help my son sleep. In your experience, do you think this is part of what it means in Proverbs and James? Thanks!

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    1. Yes, I think the wisdom found in scripture helps us through even the most practical of decisions. Of course, I don't think you're going to find a how-to manual on sleep training (although that would be nice). However, scriptural wisdom is going to help you cope with the ups and downs with a better attitude and more thanksgiving. It will make the long nights more bearable! I also think that the wisdom we get from scripture cultivates and nourishes the Spirit of God in us, and that Spirit is what helps us discern what's best in everything. You will make better parenting decisions when you are at peace with God, fully trusting Him, and responding to His leading instead of reacting to a situation. I also think that there are LOTS of principles in Proverbs especially that are very practical and widely applicable to lots of situations.

      About sleep training...pray, pray, pray! It's not silly at all. I am constantly praying for wisdom in how to teach Rooster something, or how best to nurse Cupcake. I don't always get a flashing red "do this" sign, but I often get peace and perspective to help me make better decisions. I so remember being up all night listening to crying baby and just pleading with God he would sleep! God is big enough to care about the little things AND the big things. He concern and care for our daily troubles does not diminish his attention or care for starving children in Africa. He is much bigger than all of that.

      I'm not sure what system you use for sleep training but if you want my opinion look into Gary and Marie Ezzo. They are great Christian parents and their methods of sleep training and scheduling have worked wonders for us.

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    2. Thank you Katherine, so much for this answer! I think I *know* in my mind that I can go to God with everything in my life because I know He wants us to be completely dependent on Him...But, sometimes I feel like I'm calling on Him constantly and that I am pestering Him or something! Silly me :P

      I think you're right about the peace and perspective. And I think He guides us with our natural mother's instinct, helping us to know our babies better than anyone else.


      I haven't heard of the Ezzo's, but I will take a look. His sleeping his getting much better that we put him on a routine, and I know God has been helping us enormously.

      Thank you so much for you kind answer!

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