discernmentation
One of the things that always frustrated me when I was looking for "answers" to some of the "big questions" in my "life" (this quote thing gets "addictive") was the fact that I constantly read, hear, and watch material from experts on business, lifestyle design, and philosophy, but never seem to find any real, practical advice.
And that extended to the Bible as well. I would read a passage in the Bible, and I might find some inspiration from it, but I couldn't see how it would immediately impact me, or how I should act on what I was learning. I'd read books by Christian authors, books by business leaders, books by or about great figures in history, and I could see how they lived their life, but I couldn't seem to spot any literal, actual steps I should take to live the way they lived.
That information was there, of course. It's just hidden. Hidden in plain sight, most of the time. Because, frankly, even though I was exposing my heart and mind to the right messages, I was missing a vital component. I was skipping one of the most important steps for learning from the world around you.
God hides wisdom from us. Not in a malcious way. More like an Easter egg hunt. It's a jewel, a prize that you really, really want (even if you don't know you want it), but to get it you have to actually search for it.
And God isn't mean about it. He gives you hints. He nudges you in the right direction. In fact, He's armed you with the perfect tool for finding wisdom—pray for it, and then start looking for it. You'll find it. I guarantee that.
In Proverbs 24:32, Solomon wrote the formula for finding wisdom in the world around us. It's so simple, you probably breeze right past it when you read it. Read it in context. I'll even highlight the bits I'm talking about:
30 I went past the field of a sluggard,
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
My trouble has always been keeping my mouth shut long enough to learn from what I'm witnessing in the world around me. I talk too much, or I write too much, or I think too much, and instead of seeing wisdom right in front of me I end up being critical and closed-minded and self-aggrandizing and I learn nothing. Then I have the audacity to complain that there is no wisdom to be found.
So I'm going to stop short right now, and pay attention to this message myself. I'm going to apply my heart to what I observe, and learn a lesson from what I see. Try it yourself. Let's see how much we grow.
