Wisdom. | A Weekly Word 2022
Birthdays, gray hairs and smile lines are often regarded as indicators that one has gained wisdom, that she or he has lived long enough to not just know more, but to know better. Successes and failures, bumps and bruises, all build up our storehouse of wisdom. Still, those very same life experiences can also produce other qualities in us – qualities that contaminate our thinking – like resentment, defensiveness, and mistrust.
And while growing older can indeed mean growing wiser, it also often means growing more rigid. The same experiences that strengthen us, also harden us. Many of us become less inclined to change our thinking over time, even when that thinking is toxic or unhealthy. We falsely reason that because wisdom comes with age, our ways of thinking must be wise.
This week’s scripture challenges us to consider the source of our wisdom, warning us that earthly wisdom is often tainted with bitter envy and selfish ambition. Spiritual wisdom, on the other hand, is not spoiled by our trauma and hardship. This type of wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Consider the source of your wisdom. Is it guided by what you have lived through and learned from? Or is it spiritually-based? Ask yourself this when it comes to your thinking:
Is it pure? Unadulterated and without extraneous inputs.
Is it peaceable? Free from conflict and internal discord.
Is it gentle? Kind and tenderhearted.
Is it open to reason? Fair and sensible.
Is it merciful and bearing good fruit? Extending grace over judgment.
Is it impartial and sincere? Just and genuine.
Passage
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
James 3:17
Prayer
God, thank you for your wisdom. Thank you that I do not have to rely on my earthly wisdom alone. Thank you, Lord, for the ability to tap into your infinite source. Help me to exercise wisdom that is gentle, peaceable, merciful and open to reason. Help me to be pure in my thinking. Help me to be impartial and sincere in my actions. And allow your spiritual wisdom to bear good fruit in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Practice
This week, I will consider the source of my wisdom. I will commit to evaluating whether my wisdom is from above by checking for each of the eight indicators of spiritual wisdom.