Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don’t remember growing older
When did they?
When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn’t it yesterday
When they were small?
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze
Sunrise, sunset Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears
What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, the main male character Tevye and his wife Golde sing this beautiful song at the wedding of their daughter. The lyrics reference how quickly time passes and how poignant the passage of time is for each of us who are parents or are those who are shepherding younger ones along the way. One day you are holding an infant in your arms and the next day you are watching your own child parent his or her children.
Each time I hear this song, I am especially struck by the poignancy of the refrain:
What words of wisdom can I give them? How can I help to ease their way? Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years
To be a giver of words of wisdom – is that not a deep desire of every parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, mentor, or coach?
Would it not be amazing if wisdom could be packaged, purchased and given to another just like a gift?
Would you believe me if I were to tell you that this is precisely the case? The wisdom of God is already packaged, purchased and freely available to all who ask. In other words, the Wisdom of the Ages is right at your fingertips. Do not bother to go looking for it in the grocery stores or in the aisles of Walmart or Target. Look instead on your bookshelf or your bedside table.
There sits your Holy Bible, God’s inspired word – his Logos, which is God-breathed and literally power-packed with wisdom. And it is just sitting there, waiting for you. And the price has already been paid through the person of Jesus Christ who has granted us 100% access to God through His shed blood on the cross. So this wisdom that often proves to be so elusive, is actually available all the time. It never runs out, never needs replenishing, and continually flows out of the heart of our God towards his people.
In the first chapter of the Book of James God tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask, and it shall be given without reproach.” Without reproach is a fancy way of saying without shame, without guilt, or without fault-finding. If you need wisdom, you are told just to ask. Thankfully, wisdom is something that God is not frugal about giving away. In fact, God is as generous with his wisdom in precisely the same way that he is lavish with his love. It is his joy and delight to give you, his children, his wisdom.
And do not worry, God will not hold your previous record of poor and foolish choices against you. He will not hold your wayward, fickle heart against you. He will not look at you and say that it is too late or that you have blown all your chances. In fact one of the best things he says in all of scripture (in my book, anyway), is that his mercies are new every morning. Each day you can wake up and start over if you need to. You can dedicate your day to following the way of Christ, asking for wisdom each step of the way. The days when I take the time and am wholeheartedly devoted to this approach certainly seem to be more peace-filled than the days when I am relying on my own wisdom, my own strength and my own understanding. I do not know about you, but I am recommitting myself to asking God for his wisdom…whether it be daily, hourly or moment by moment.