Way Too Much Ice Cream

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:13-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A few months back I went on a silent retreat for 2 days. Yes, I said silent. It was awesome. I needed a minute to center myself in Christ without feeling rushed. I needed some time to hang out with Jesus like an old friend that you never seem to find time to catch up with. I left with A LOT of passion and even more plans. 

One of my many plans was to wake up early everyday to have time to focus my day on the Lord, and also, figure out what that day had in store. Not only did I plan to pray every morning, I was convicted to pray for more wisdom. Every day. Pray for more wisdom.  I think I did it twice. BUT... I have been re-inspired by reading and studying Proverbs 3. 

If I believe the Bible to be true than I read these verses and think to myself: wisdom is worth more than gold and silver? It is better than anything else I could desire?? And instantly I am flooded with the amount of things I desire in a day. So. Many. Things. I am so sinfully full of desires. I long for things money can buy. And, surprise, surprise, I am always left unsatisfied. I want my house to take care of itself, and my kids to obey, and, and, and, and, and... All the while I put minimal effort into changing, you know, me. 

"Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." Oh my heart! I seriously long to embody this verse. The "her" in this verse is a personification of Wisdom. A similar verse captured me on my silent retreat and it was because of this element of peace that wisdom holds. My day to day reality is fairly chaotic. It definitely would not be described as peaceful. There is a whole lot of rushing, and yelling, and attitude (from me too), and frustration, and guilt, and doubt, and laziness, jealousy and WAY TOO MUCH ICE CREAM. 

And here lies the conviction I mentioned earlier. Peace is a natural by-product of Godly wisdom. How, you ask, can one get this amazing thing called wisdom?? The answer is so in line with God's generous character. You ask. James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."  Wisdom is knowing what to do with the knowledge and understanding you have already. It's making good choices. It is action oriented rather than simply a state of mind. It becomes part of you. "The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, approachable, full of merciful thoughts and kindly actions, straightforward, with no hint of hypocrisy" 

It is worth more than silver and gold, and more beautiful and desirable than jewels. Wisdom is the Holy Spirit coming out of you through your actions, words and thoughts. And our generous God will give us more when we ask Him for more. Do you ask for wisdom? I did twice. But I will start fresh again today. Can you imagine how much more peaceful our relationships would be with our spouses, children, friends, family, co-workers, etc if we were growing in wisdom from above daily. Join me in praying for more wisdom. Every day. More wisdom. 

- Bridget