The Contest is closed. Thanks so much for the great comments. I'll have the three winners posted next week.
Author Jennifer Schuchmann came over for dinner a few weeks ago and dropped some serious author knowledge on me and my wife. From the speaking tours to writing a book with NFL QB Kurt Warner, she told some crazy stories and was incredibly generous with her wisdom and awesomeness.
Today, I thought it would be fun to give away three copies of the book she wrote with Mark Herringshaw called “Nine Ways God Always Speaks .”
The best three answers to the question of the day that are submitted via comment by Wednesday, August 5th will win a free copy of the book.
Here is the question:
Who in your life has shared wisdom with you? It can be a family member, a friend, a colleague, a pastor, anyone.
Who has shared wisdom with you?
When I was a senior in college and trying to decide which of two seminaries to attend, I went by to talk with one of my professors in the religion department.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening carefully, he said, "Rob, both schools are good schools. But if you choose to go to (name of seminary), you will be a marked man. You will be marked theologically. You will be marked intellectually. You will be marked spiritually. You will be marked for life."
I made my decision. And his words--now 25 years later--are as true today as they were prophetic then. That choice marked my life. Over the ensuing years, I've often reminded my professor-friend of the wisdom he shared that day.
You John, you.
ReplyDeleteI pastored hundreds of homeless In San Francisco for 14 years. One old homeless guy who I would sit on the street with taught me so much about why the world just passes each other by.
ReplyDeletePeace,
Steve Wright
My wife, Lorana. Early on in our dating, we shared a saying that I was heart and she was wisdom.
ReplyDeleteGod has given her a gift of wisdom that is simply amazing.
After we were married last year, we got tattoos to symbolize that relationship and to represent each other. Hers is a Chinese symbol for heart and mine is the Chinese symbol for wisdom.
Next time we run into you, if you like, you can see mine. Hers... not so much. :-)
My husband and I were only married 2 years when we had two children (twins) and drought hit our farm. We owed EVERYBODY (It seemed)we had just built a (4,000) sq ft house on our family farm and it looked like we wouldn't live in it long.
ReplyDeleteAt a family confab about our dire situation, my husband's grandmother said, "God will take care of you!"
I thought, "What had God got to do with it?" My husband and I had been raised and church and still attended but were not BELIEVERS.
Forty some years later....I can attest, MaMa was so right. God has taken care of us. Despite many bad decisions on our part and troubles of many kinds.... God has taken GOOD care of us.
I have had many great mentors through life, but some of the best advice came through a man I never met, actually a man who never really existed: Sidney Friedman, the psychologist on the TV show MASH. It is Sidney who taught me, "Sometimes you have to just drop your pants and slide on the ice." That wisdom has brought me through many rough patches of ministry.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, one of my Hindu students said that babies and old people are closest to God. She said that is why babies cry in sadness when being born-because they are leaving the constant physical presence of GOd to go into the world. The elderly smile in recognition that they are returning to his arms.
ReplyDeleteSomeone stole my answer. You, Jon. You've made me think.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my friend Sally who shared this with me, "I can't dodge the bullet but God can heal the wound"
I once asked a friend of mine (she's 97 years old):"Elaine, does life ever get easier?"
ReplyDeleteHer answer was simple and to the point "No", but she followed it up with the statement that has changed my life "...but trusting Jesus does."
My chiropractor actually gave me the best advice ever....I had been going through a rough time and I told him I think that the key to life if decision making and he said, "Ryan, that is true but the real key is to forgive others AND be able to forgive yourself". Works for me!
ReplyDeleteA few months ago, I came to the realization that my father just doesn't have it in him to my father. The realization crushed me further, however, when he called me and told me that he doesn't understand why we would need boundaries in our relationship and that he doesn't want to deal with it. Essentially he dumped me. I couldn't deal with it at all.
ReplyDeleteMy friend Sarah heard about this and she wrote this to me: "Just remember that you are a daughter of the king, and when people come against you, your real daddy is gonna get 'em!" Truer words were never spoken.
Children....always children.
ReplyDeleteWatching them interact with adults reminds me of how we should interact with God. As I was putting my 2-year old niece to bed, I realized that she was sleeping in my arms without even holding on. She trusted me so completely that she went to sleep, knowing that I wouldn't let her fall. And she was right. I would die before I let anything hurt her.
The metaphor is obvious here. I now remind myself "Do I trust God as much as Abby trusted me?" Because as much as I love her more than I ever thought possible - I'm no God :)
Every year I spend a week at a camp for abused kids in the foster care system. Each time I go away canged by what I learn from them. One of the big things every year that stands out is their kindness and how patient and supportive they are of each other.
ReplyDeleteThey've grown up with mean spiritued talent shows like American Idol where part of the "fun" is making fun of the ones who aren't as good. But each year they cheer each other on during their talent show, patiently waiting for the ones who have stage fright until they are ready.
I want to be like them when I grow up.
More like who hasn't shared wisdom with me. Honestly it seems like I get wisdom from the most likely of places. My students are a great source of wisdom, but I think my kids take the cake for most unlikely source.
ReplyDeleteThe deepest and most intentional wisdom has probably all come form my parents though. More and more I value what they have to say.
I just returned from a month in India where I was ministered to by orphans. Sure, I went there to minister to orphans, but, as God so often does, that plan got turned upside down when I got there and realized that these children, these "least if these", who don't have anything, really have everything.
ReplyDeleteThey understand God and daily bread better than I ever will. They understand love, trust, and forgiveness in a way that I can only read about in books and humorous Christian blog sites. Their adoration was one of the most humbling experiences I have ever been blessed by and watching them worship the one true living God at 5:30 every morning, in a city filled with Hindu idols, broke the most hardened places of my cynical soul that get caught up in being in seminary and wanting to "save the church" in America.
Aukilh, one of the older boys, wanted to pray for me as my team was leaving to travel to another orphanage a few hours North. He wanted to pray in English, rather than Malayalam, his native tongue, and his innocent broken prayer spoke more wisdom on how we are to approach God than any of the eloquent professors whom I have been blessed to sit under. I find that God really does choose to speak to me most often "out of the mouth of babes".
The Tick. Seriously. I wrote this down during an episode years ago, and still think about it...
ReplyDelete"Destiny dressed you this morning, my friend, and now fear is trying to pull off your pants!"
(I just replace the word "Destiny" with "God.")
My four year old.
ReplyDeleteWhen I couldn't find my Flip Video recorder to record her dance recital, I got into quite a huff. Her response: "mom, life is not all about Flip videos"
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ReplyDeleteMy grandma. I grew up in a house that professed atheism. My grandmother was a solid Baptist. And she started out every (and I mean EVERY) conversation with "Do you know Jesus?" We lived on opposite coasts, she was my guide as a Christian woman, wife and sister.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I had a rocky start. The ONLY reason we got through that first year is because I was NOT going to call my grandmother and tell her we were divorcing. Wasn't going to happen. Thirteen years later, my reasons for staying married have matured, but in the beginning--it was Fear of Grandma. God uses the tools He has to, eh?
I was tempted to think of an odd pearl of wisdom that came from working with middle school students (I mean, every now and then, they say something wise, right?), or someone else unlikely, just to be unique...but that would do unjustice to the person who truly has given me such a large amount of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteMy youth pastor in high school always had an incredible gift for teaching the truth and wisdom of the Bible. More importantly, he lived and modeled such wisdom himself. Long after I graduated, I went to him with my accomplishments, problems, decisions, and even when I was dumped by some boy. He always had a wealth of Biblical advice, and I soaked it up. I trusted what he said because I had seen him live his life as a man of character, both within his family and the church. He was the person I looked up to the most, and it seemed no matter what the situation was, he knew how to help me find the wise thing to do. I am indebted to him for the way he taught me to examine the world and the decisions I make each day.
One day last year, I found myself in the middle of a stupid situation I was pretty sure wasn't wise. I felt stuck, and had no idea what to do. I asked him what he thought, but for the first time in my life I remember thinking that I genuinely may not have the courage to follow his wisdom, that I was probably going to let him down. He was going to think I was such an idiot, especially considering how much I "knew" to be true.
And yet after he gave some advice he shrugged and said, "You know, Kristina, no decision you can make and nothing you could do would ever change the fact that my wife and I are very much FOR you. There is no 'mess up' that would make us walk away from your friendship, or lose respect for you"
And that was the first time I really learned that should I ever ignore wisdom, the Lord would still be there. And a few friends would be standing there, as well. I will never forget the relief that flooded my heart that day, a feeling that taught me so much in itself...
A good friend of mine. There's a person in her life that treats her like crap. And while my response to it is often negative. What does she do? Look for more ways to love that person. The wisdom she's shown me has come from her actions...and her heart.
ReplyDeleteThere is several people that have shared wisdom to me but if i have to choose one, I will always remember the words of my grandmother who shared her wisdom of how to be a single parent and moving to america. If you want to live the dream you got to live.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...the thing that really sticks in my head this morning is what a pastor on my Board of Directors told me. I was being evaluated, and we were talking about our center's volunteer base, and how it was going. He told me, in summary, that you can have tons of volunteers, but unless they are working on something that they are truly passionate about, then it's going to fizzle out. That got me to thinking...how many times have I volunteered for something that I like to do, and then I don't have time to do the things that I am truly passionate about? I'm just crowding up the space and taking up room that could be for those who are more committed than me! So now I make sure that I only commit to things that I have a passion for, and I make sure that my volunteers are working on projects that they are passionate about. May not be much, but at this point in my busy life, that meant a lot to me!
ReplyDeleteWisdom comes in the shape of a biochemistry phd student at a prestigious university in northern Thailand. A few days ago I returned from spending two months working with a student ministry team through english outreach programs. At the end of the program, when we had a mini-graduation, one of my students handed me a card, looked straight into my eyes and said, 'Don't forget me, okay? Don't forget about me.' Students who have never heard the name of Jesus, whom may never have been prayed for by name... asking me not to forget them, the thirsty, the lost. Her voices echoes through my head daily as I'm back in the daily grind of western life, with the sobering reminer to not forget.
ReplyDeleteI am a Pediatric nurse, and kids in the hospital always have something to say, they just make my day!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, at first, I wasn't sure who to say. There was an epic battle in my mind between a few people, or should I say characters? There was a toss up between G.I.Joe, Smokey the Bear, Captain Planet, Scruff McGruff, and Mr. YUK, l. At some point, in my life, these people have imparted some sort of wisdom into my life!
ReplyDeleteThanks to G.I.Joe, I always knew what to do if I had a nose bleed, or broke my leg in the woods. I learned a lot of things, and he always assured me that, "KNOWING is half of the battle".
Smokey the bear told me that only person who could prevent forest fires, was me. (That created quite a stressful childhood. Any time I had heard of a forest fire, I thought I had dropped the ball. I would try harder, and do more, but I would just wear myself out)
I also leaned a lot from Captain Planet and his infamous gang, "EARTH, WIND, FIRE, WATER...HEEEAAARRRTT!" He tought me the impotance of recycling and keeping the planet clean, kinda.
Scruff McGruff used to have a solo gig. He had his own commercials, and tought me about avoiding harmful situations. He also taught me that crime wasn't worth all the effort! Later, Scruff partnered with D.A.R.E., from that point on, I feel his work went down hill.
Last, but not least, Mr. YUK. He never said a word. He just stuck out his tongue in disgust! He was a bright neon green sticker that my parents would put on the side of containers that contained harmful chemicals. Never once did I try to drink an inviting bottle of windex. I never thought to sprinkle some Comet onto a cookie. Mr. YUK spoke in silence, making sure I wasn't consuming poison. (Sometimes, I wish life had Mr. YUK stickers stuck to harmful things!)
All of those "people" imparted much wisdom in my life. But my number 1 choice would be my friend, Filipe. He always knew the right thing to say. Like Jesus, he understood the balance of speaking truth AND love. He has taught me some of the most important things I'll ever learn.
Filipe. That is my final answer.
Sometimes it's as simple as what my friend Dave used to say: "What's the right thing to do?"
ReplyDeleteThe best advice I have ever recieved was from a fifteen year old girl. I taught and coached a bunch of ridiculous, rough kids my first year teaching English and coaching soccer(I was 21).
ReplyDeleteI had just finished telling my team stupid and ridiculous they looked. How they were stooping to the level of trashiness by back talking the other team. I told them that I didn't coach tramps I coached ladies. I gave the death blow when I said: "I thought you girls were ladies. I guess not."
At this point I knew I was going to lose my job and/or get stabbed, but one girl looked at me and said: "Coach B, that hurts, but thanks. We do look really stupid right now. You speak with love, but no sugar. I like that. I wish more coaches and teachers were like that. We love you, B."
Honesty with purely self-less intentions is the best policy.
My dentist. One visit, I had no wisdom teeth. The next visit, I needed them out immediately.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, everyone I come across gives me words of wisdom and makes me think. After a while, it's the faces that blend together and the words that stick out.
ReplyDeleteI guess I have to say it was really God who's given me the most and I heard through someone I never thought I'd be close with.
It was the mom of a youth leader at my church. A few months before I knew I would venture into the college group, this mom herself became a leader.
But we clicked and talked always and she constantly reminded me of daily faith and daily trust.
She still does.
She'll post verses or reminders on facebook about stillness or queitness or reminders of God and I know he's getting to me through her.
But one thing she had said I wrote down and always remember:
"One day at a time walking in FAITH".
I could go on and on about all the quotes and verses I've collected and memorized reminding me about daily trust and faith and being honest, but since I met this woman of Christ, her words of wisdom stick with me. She is a secondary mother.
My mentor Tammy shared/s much wisdom...she is the woman with the greatest spiritual influence on me besides my mom. She is the department chair of the grad program in counseling I attended. While I was in this program, I wrestled with my singleness, my faith, my identity, and how to approach human suffering. She, being single herself, was honest about what that has meant in her life, as well as so transparent as to share her other struggles and experiences in similar areas.
ReplyDeleteI think her greatest nugget of wisdom is: "where we have been wounded the most, if often where God wants to use us the most."
She models what it is like to cultivate an intimacy with our heavenly Father through prayer, and I treasure her role in my life.
I have it written down in my Bible, but do not remember who said it. "Truth is to Live, not Learn." I love to study God's Word,books,people, pretty much everything. I drink in so very much every day , whether its reading a blog, praying with friends, or listening to a sermon. Yet I try to ask my self this. Am I trying to live it or learn it? Sometimes I have to just walk away from the information overload highway and go back to live what I have learned.God does want us to learn, to have wisdom. Yet in all of the wisdom we seek for, applying what we do know is the most difficult. For me at least.
ReplyDeleteGod
ReplyDeleteFor me it was a one-liner in the movie Tuff Turf. A teenaged boy was getting into all kinds of sticky situations and his parents were just about at their wits end. His father was so gentle and patient with him and told him this one phrase that has stuck with me ever since. It's even the sub-heading under my my blog name. The phrase is this: "Life is a mystery to be lived....not a problem to be solved."
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say my husband. We dated all senior year in high school, got married when I was 18 and he 20, and just had a our 3 year anni a couple days ago.
ReplyDeleteHe's shared infinate wisdom more so in the things that he hasn't done than has. By that I mean in all my years knowing him, he's never raised his voice at me. When I'm a basktcase his response everytime is esstially "God will take care of it if we do our part, too." We went through an awfulyl rough (financially/job-wise) 6 months last year and through it all he trusted God (kind of for the both of us, haha) and we've come out the other side of that "season", if you will, haha, evern stronger--and I know for sure it was God.
He's been to Africa a couple times and Peru to name a few places (he's a videographer: canavp.com) and he's seen things that have changed his heart completely, for the good. He is the person that I know who is the most in love with God and his heart and actions reflect that. He keeps his "walk" with God simple, too, and that to me was a beautiful thing as I am someone who has a tendancy to over-complicated God (and everything else) regularly.
I could go on, but then I'm just bragging.
Lately, God's shared some wisdom with me through little kids.
ReplyDeleteOn sharing (from Isabella, 4): You need to share or your mom will swat your bottom!
A youth worker once took me under his wing, and decided that I needed some guidance. He was very right about that. He would take me out for breakfast before school, or call me after a huge test and ask how I was.
ReplyDeleteHe sat me down when I got into my first relationship, and gave me a little talk - not about purity, because we had already had that talk. This talk was about what kind of gifts were good for a girlfriend, and which were not. example - shoes are a no-no. You get too large of a pair, and the girl will think that you think she has big feet. oo small of a pair, and when they don't fit, she'll think her feet are too big. THis was a small part of the list, but the one that made me laugh the most.
This leader lead me to the Lord when I was about to walk away from Him. He always seemed to have the right words to say when I needed them.
Perhaps the greatest wisdom I received from this man of God was from his example. Later, when I becaame a youth leader, and then a youth pastor, I would stop and think, "what would Robert do here?"
Once when things were so hard between my daughter, who at the time was 19, and I, a very wise lady told me to "never break relationship". We went through some really tough times, but somehow we always stayed connected. Now 13 years later - we are not only Mom and daughter, but very good friends. I have passed this advice on to many parents.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, the person who has shed the most wisdom on me is my now 11 year old niece. She was just barely three years old when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occured. I remember being with her a few days after the attacks. We were flipping through channels looking for cartoons, but landed on a broadcaset of a candlelight vigil in NYC. My niece was humming along with Amazing Grace - as I tried to hold back my tears. My niece looked me in the eye and asked, aunt Abby, why are all those people crying? I sat quietly for a moment, then I said, well baby, some of their mommy and daddies aren't coming home from work today and they are sad. My niece understood that a lot of people lost their lives. She then looked up at me - this time with tears in both of our eyes, she said, is my mommy coming home from work? I told her that her mommy would be home soon. Her biggest piece of wisdom that day came next.
ReplyDeleteShe said, Aunt Abby, I really love you and I really love my mommy. I am glad we're together and I know we always will be. We're all we need.
How true is that? We need each other.
My nieces and nephews impart wisdom on me everyday, from worshipping God in their own way, to praying so God "will hear" them, to loving each other and making sure I don't take life too seriously.
Okay - sorry for the rambiling comment.
My great grandfather had only one conversation with me before he passed away. It was at my grandfather's house on Christmas eve, and I was seven years old. I was trying to solve a brain teaser puzzle, a horseshoe with a warped bar that connected both points had a bar with rings on either ends connected to it. Being seven this was no easy task, and I was doomed to rip at the metal bindings for the entire night had I not been approached by the man for whom I'm named. I am Joseph William Rourke IV (the fourth), and my great grandfather was the first to have that name.
ReplyDeleteHe inched over to me in an elderly hunched over fashion and sat down next to the fireplace I was sitting on. He asked me how that was going, and I gave no response but a look of shame and disappointed failure. He told me "you can do it, you're the fourth!" in as excited a tone as his aged voice box could muster. He took the puzzle from me, slowly solved it once and solved it again, then gave it back to me. He watched me fiddle incorrectly with it at first and looked on with a reassuring smile still. I did solve the puzzle after a few mistakes, and my great grandfather beamed with satisfaction at my pleased young laughing smile.
After that Christmas eve Joe was too sick to visit us anymore, and he passed when I was 16. I'll always remember that conversation though, and I'll always remember how to solve that puzzle. My great grandfather invested all that he could in me, he taught me what he knew and assured me that I was capable of doing what he could too.
The person who has shared the most wisdom with me would probably be Jim Snyder, one the theology professors at Cincinnati Christian University. I'm a student there, and I've taken about 5 classes with him, and in each one, I walk away with some wise insights on what it truly means to follow God.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I took a class with him at the beginning of the school year called Prayer and Spirituality, and it was in that class for the first time that the idea of really having a relationship with God was made clear to me. Up to that point, I'd done Christian stuff because I would feel guilty otherwise or just out of some sense of obligation. But Snyder made me think about stuff like prayer and reading God's Word in a way that was relational, and laid the foundations for a real, true love between the Almighty and myself.
In other classes, he's shared some real wisdom about leading and ministering in churches, and that has also been some really valuable stuff to me as well. I guess his wise insight has helped me figure out a little bit more about what it means to follow Jesus.
Plus he has one of those super long Amish style beards, rides his Harley to work everyday, wears leather vests to teach in each day, and has two sleeves of tattoos. That's pretty freakin' sweet.
My wife and I were engaged to be married. It was two weeks before the wedding and I started to get cold feet. I loved my fiance but I was scared of the commitment, the future, financial struggles, etc. I talked to my future father-in-law about postponing the wedding. After a thoughtful pause he said, "If it's a question of whether she is the right person, by all means postpone or even cancel. If it's a question of timing, well, you'll never find that perfect time. I would suggest moving forward with the wedding." I took his advice, we had the wedding, and last week we celebrated 19 wonderful years together.
ReplyDeleteMy friend Charity. We live in different towns and get together almost every week to walk and talk. She has shared so much wisdom with me. I come loaded with questions most weeks and she has thoughtful answers backed by experience. How to deal with teens, how to deal with teens in the hospital, what makes a good marriage, how to deal with friends that arent friendly,should I stick with the PTA, we cover it all. I am not a gardener but this fall (we live in the way south) she is going to teach me to grow veggies in containers.
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday the message took us through the book of James. It was highlighted that God grants wisdom to anyone who asks (and does not doubt). So I did so again, trying really, hard not to doubt. (I think I probably do that every time I hear this passage.)
ReplyDeleteWell anyway, later that week we went out for dinner with a friend and got talking about the incredible functioning of the human body (I know, great dinner conversation, eh?) I suggested a couple of theories based on my knowledge of our awesome creator God, the fact that we as humans are infantile fools by comparison and a small amount of information I've garnered regarding the nature of scientific study over the years.
My ever diligent friend pulled out his 'Hitchhiker's Guide' (iPhone), looked up my hypothesis on that great compendium of knowledge, the internet, and proved my theory right.
His comment (which contained a note of surprise, btw) was that it was pretty smart to come up with that, having never heard it before.
I realized then that: a) God has granted me (and Christians in general) wisdom. b) wisdom is intrinsically linked with our knowledge of God, His word and character.
As we grow in our understanding of God, we learn to interpret and understand the world through His eyes; that is wisdom.
1 Corinthians 1:27
...God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise...
Is your next post going to be "Nine Things Christians Will Do For A Free Book"?
As long as I could remember, every birthday wish, every Christmas list, every prayer, was for a little brother or sister. I was an only child for 20 years. I remember being 14/15 when I made the conscious commitment to Christ, around the same time my parents divorced. I was baptized as an infant so I never got to make that decision for myself. I made that commitment to Christ and later, when I left for college, continued to pursue a relationship with him. Then when I was 18, my best friend died in a car accident two days before Thanksgiving. For over a year, I lost my connection to Christ. I lost my best friend and I lost my relationship with Christ. I was angry and hurt. I stopped praying. I wondered if God even existed. Exactly one year from my friends funeral, my dad told me he was going to have a baby with his girlfriend. My baby brother is three now. Everytime I look at him I am filled with hope and joy and love and amazement. He was what my heart longed for, for all my life. My brother is my miracle and anytime I have any doubt in God, I think of Josiah. God has a great way of working everything out. And Josiah brought me back to peace, love, hope, and my relationship with God. Since then, my dad and his girlfriend had another baby, a precious girl named Rachel. She is 10 months old. Because of those little babies, I know God keeps promises and truly loves me.
ReplyDeleteUmmmm yeah..... I'll go back to the standard sunday school answer and say...............Jesus?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous.
ReplyDeleteMy mom: She has always said, "You are in charge of yourself." We cannot control the actions of others. We can only make good decisions for ourselves, listening always to God's voice, and wait on Him.
ReplyDeleteMy dad has definitely been my earthly source of wisdom for a long, long time. We are a lot alike and I think that is the reason why we have the conversations we have. We are both very passionate and concerned about other people and the older I've gotten, the more I've enjoyed our theological discussions.
ReplyDeleteHe's given me thoughts to hold on to throughout my life like, "Remember who you are, and whose you are," and "Forgiveness is a one-way street."
More importantly, he always points me to scripture.
Once, after talking to a friend about how I had no idea what I should do, even though I had prayed about it often, a friend told me, "why do you keep asking what YOU should do? You should be asking what God wants to do through you. It isn't about you." And that has stuck with me ever since. It really puts my prayer life into perspective. So often I'm stuck on me, me, me. Now I always have it in my head (whether I always listen or not) to think God, God, God.
ReplyDeleteMy old boss was Jewish. We would sit and debate and discuss the torah and new testament about once a week for a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteHe was tremendously wise and taught me a lot about, life, business, people, human nature and the old testament from a very Jewish stand point. He challenged my faith in a number of ways and I hope that I challenged his. I believe that I am stronger and more secure in my faith in Jesus because of those debates.
I am going to have to go with...GOD (of course)! :-)
ReplyDeleteThough if you are talking about a tangible person it would have to be Nancy Leigh DeMoss (but I have never met her in person).
So someone I have had a live conversation with would be my dear friend and minister's wife who has imparted much wisdom regarding marriage and parenting as well as told me about Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
The person who has given me the best advice and wisdom would probably be my friend Mike Beecraft. His position is one of the most complicated I have ever heard. He is the custodian at my church/school, the 9/10 gym teacher, the 3/4 science/social studies teacher, 7/8 Sunday school teacher, and assistant youth pastor. He is so awesome and he is probably my greatest mentor. He is currently married to a wonderful woman and has a baby girl born on Tuesday, July 20, 2009.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Really funny because I just spent a week as a councilor at a camp with him. As well we drove home together on Friday night and talked for several hours.
Turns out my Dad, after amassing a ridiculous number of years on this planet, has collected the odd pearl or two of wisdom. The way he conveyed those gems was not often with words. He didn't need to. His love for his God was often on display, his character a testimony. Quiet and humble, his actions were powerful reminders of his take on things.
ReplyDeleteWhen he did choose to share with words, he would remind me of my place in the world. Not letting me forget that I am the King's son, clothed with the righteousness of Christ, by hitting me with these parting words whenever I would leave the house as a teen:
"Remember who you are."
All through college my friend Pansy was a rock. I'd complain about classes, people, and a lot about God, but her standard reply was "Life's not fair" or "It doesn't have to be fair." She drilled that into me for several years.
ReplyDeleteThen one day in a group devotional the speaker was talking about how often kids say, "It's not fair." He reminded us that one day we will stand before a holy God who will allow us into heaven and that will be the most unfair thing to ever happen to us.
Pansy and I have lost touch over the years, but if I ever connect with her I'[m going to tell her that I'm really glad life isn't fair.
My mom has shared the most wisdom, hands down. But never in one sitting or at a special time. It was always in little passing moments: in the minivan on the way to soccer, at the breakfast table, while playing a card game, etc.
ReplyDeleteAll the people who commented above me just shared wisdom with me in sharing wisdom that was shared with them. I learnt more insightful and inspiring things in the last few minutes by reading their answers than I generally do in a week. Thank you very much everyone, and thanks Jon for creating such a wonderful forum. Blessings to you all.
ReplyDeleteMy friend, Ann, was a woman at our church who was a generation older than me. We became friends when I was 23 and she was in her 50's, in 1980. She advised me through my single career years and into my married stay-at-home-mom years. She showed her love for Jesus more than anyone I've ever met. She was open and honest and real about her failures in life as well as victories. She was able to give me the advice that was difficult to hear because I always knew that she loved me. She prayed with me and for me. She went home to be with the Lord last fall. I (and many other people) miss her, but I'm confident I'll meet her again in the life to come. Paula
ReplyDeleteI never listen to anything anyone tries to tell me, so the people who have shared the most wisdom with me have managed to sneak it in by asking me questions.
ReplyDeleteIn particular I remember an instance in band class at the beginning of high school. I had had the privilege of learning to play the flute for the first year in a middle school band program that was about five times better than the one I moved into, so going into high school I was the best player in the section and quite proud of myself. One of our first band assignments was to learn and play a short technique exercise as fast as we could. We were given the exercise a few weeks before we were to be tested on it, but I never practiced it. I walked into our director's office when it was my turn to play for a grade and played the exercise just a bit faster than I knew the next-best player (who had earned a 93) could do, then sat back and waited to be congratulated.
"90," he said. "Why didn't you play it faster?"
I realized that day that I had always let others set standards and expectations for me, instead of ignoring the standards and really doing my best, whether it was in band where I was always told I'd done "good enough" or in sports where I was told I would never be good enough.
My god-father sent me a letter as I began to work as a staff member at camp (support staff, kitchen working, lifeguard). He taught me of Stephan and others who did the "dirty work" so that others could minister to the kids. It stayed with me for the 4 summers I helped slave in the hot sun and the HOT kitchen. Stephan still remains a hero to me and I try to use this example when I'm not doing the jobs that may not be fun, but are important.
ReplyDeleteThe ballet Teacher I had when I was a six year old gave me the best advice. She said:
ReplyDelete" Make sure you stretch often. It is ok if you stop dancing for awhile, but never, never stop stretching."
When I go through rough patches in my life, and i dont feel like dancing I remember those words. Even though I may not be in a "dancing" season of my life, that does not mean that i always will be. Some times in life are for "stretching" being out of your comfort zone, growing and being prepared for the "dancing" seasons.
Thanks for doing a give away of my book, Jon. One of the first chapters talks about God speaking through other people--seems like your readers already have this way down!
ReplyDeleteLike several comment-ers, I find wisdom where I find it--a sentence that stands out in a book, a child who babbles but it has an application to my life, those who are further along the path and those who are coming behind me have all imparted wisdom in big and small ways. Problem is, I don't always recognize the wisdom when it's imparted. Often, I figure it out later-- after time has passed, I've puzzled over their words, or a situation comes up where I need to apply what they said.
I need to record everything that happens in life and then when a sticky situation comes up, go back and replay the parts where a wisdom exchange occurred so I could truly learn from those who are wiser than I am.
Stuff Christians Like: Wisdom TIVOs
This sounds cheesy, but I find wisdom almost everyday in the posts of my fellow bloggers. I think there's something honest and authentic about most of the writing I read. I wonder if the "anonymity" of the Internet doesn't lend itself to more vulnerability and truth.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend, my big sister, and my hero, who also happens to be my preacher's wife.
ReplyDeleteShe told me that if God brings you to it, He'll bring you through it. Not the smartest thing anyone's ever said, or the most philosophical, but it really hit home with me, and still does.
Honestly...the answer to that question is this: youth, kids, youngin's. All my adult life (which is very short, comparatively) I feel like I've been surrounded (or have surrounded myself) with youth! They are the ones who have brought the most wisdom to my life. They are the ones who make me feel alive, revitalized, refreshed, rejuvenated, you name it! One time, a kid came up to me, and was like, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" Just randomly, I mean. It was so cool. Another time, one of the youth girls in the youth group said to me as a couple was announcing to the church that they were having yet ANOTHER kid, "Man...they're just poppin' out babies!" Seriously, how could it get any better than this?
ReplyDeleteYet, they've also taught me serious stuff too. There are moments when, in the lives of youth and adults, walls are broken and freedom is possible. Youth have shown me the importance of mentorship, of innocence, of friendship, loyalty, trust, etc. They've shown me the importance of play vs. work. They've showered me with tidbits of wisdom and insight here and there. I feel like I could go to a little kid and tell them my biggest problem, and they would have the smartest answer, like Michelle on Full House when Jesse always turns to her for consoling.
So my answer to the question...kids...youth...they are amazing, brilliant, and wise in their young years, and they are world changers.
Who has shared wisdom with me?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I am amazed that my children, particularly my oldest daughter, are the greatest sources of wisdom.
My oldest is 14, and she decided this summer that she wants to go to private school for high school. I was surprised that she embraced this, and I was worried about how we would fund her tuition.
Two weeks ago, my boss called. I am a full-time graduate student, and I teach part-time to help pay for my own tuition and books. I had one class scheduled for this fall, but my boss called to offer me a second class.
I called home excited and shared with my daughter the good news. She said, "Well, you asked God for tuition money, and He has provided it." She was so matter of fact and faith-filled. And I was so shocked at how maturely she spoke!
Hi prodigaljohn!
ReplyDeleteMy father gave me a wealth of wisdom during his life, before he passed away a few years ago. One 'parable' he often shared with me, when I came to him for advice, was to always "go the extra mile". "Anyone can do the least amount required or asked," he said. "Jesus said, 'If someone asks you for your coat, give him your shirt too'. He meant for us to do more than was necessary, whether for a neighbor or in a job or in your life." I never forgot those words, nor any of the many, many life lessons he taught me. I miss my dad, but his words live on in my heart.:)
My children's pastor and I were having a discussion, and the controversial issue of women in the pulpit came up. We bandied about the issue, briefly, and as we moved on to other topics he imparted some wisdom that I have applied to so many issues in my walk along Christians of all denominations:
ReplyDeleteThere are going to be a lot of folks in Heaven that got it wrong on that one.
It could be me. The point is, there are issues central to salvation, and those that aren't. Not to say they aren't important (though sometimes we make them too important); not to say there is no right or wrong answer (though no one this side of the Pearly Gates may know for sure). But there are issues with huge followings on both sides... and neither side has a monopoly on Heavenly admittance.
The Moravian church puts it another way "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love", but the hallway conversation wisdom of my children's pastor will stay with me for years.
I don't want to sound stuck in the clouds, but my deep-true answer to this is actually God. On a six day what-am-I-doing-here? trip to Amsterdam recently, I had a Jacob experience, and the only prayer I was praying during the spiritual brawl at 3 in the morning (which, of course, had to be silent so I wouldn't wake up the 12 other people in my hostel room who'd just gotten back from whatever most people do when they come to The Dam) was "Please don't let me go crazy." I was serious. I thought that this was it.
ReplyDeleteEngulfed in the fear of financial flop and time trickling away (did I 'really' think God would give me permission - let alone say "Yes!" - to such an unholy waste of precious resources?), my mind began to show me the reel of all the things I could do to, essentially, save myself.
After hours and hours of darkness and anxiety, God broke in. "Will you surrender?" After thought-mumbling something like, "I'll try, but what about a,b,c,d,e,f....", God impressed upon me that "surrender" is not some gut-wrenching motion of throwing all of yourself into Jesus. Surrender is acceptance. (Worship, He later showed me, was doing something that; that is, we seem to always pray for more and more of God. But God is all around, there is no place we can go from His presence, and He promised He would never leave, even to the end of Age. It is, actually, that we give more and more of ourselves to God."
I've listened to about one or two sermons a day online and, while they all did blow me away in one way or another, nothing cuts quite as "in" and quite as "deep" as God. That whole thing about "if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask"? Plugged in, that thing actually works!
my dogs...
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to come across as sister Super Christian yet, honestly, the answer to the "who" of your question for me is the Lord. For so long I have clung to "If any of you lacks wisdom...." and each and every time His wisdom has bailed me out of circumstances that have driven me to my knees, buckled over in pain over decisions I've needed to make. Granted He has chosen many different people to relay it through but ultimately it's been the Lord.
ReplyDeleteAs a new Believer, the HS led me into a large church. A few months later He placed me in a Small Group of women whose ages spanned 5 decades. The wisdom these godly women plucked from the Bible to guide eachother (and me) through various life circumstances was instrumental in developing my commitment to studying His word and praying for eachother.
ReplyDeleteAs iron sharpens iron...
Albus Dumbledore
ReplyDeleteWisdom drops from that man's tongue like condensation from a window AC in mid-August. Bright, shimmering pools of wise wizardly words.
Yes.
P.S. Why in the name of Harry's magical fanny is there no SCL post about Harry Potter yet? Just about every Christian I know doesn't just like hating Harry, they love hating Harry. The time is ripe, amigo, it would be so relevant what with Harry's new movie and all. Be Nike, just do it. Every good Christian knows there's something about Harry.
A man by the name of Lincoln Clark from FBC Waldorf, the church I "grew up in."
ReplyDeleteHe and his wife were the parents God wanted me to have seeing as it was just me and my mom living together. She was always working so I spent a majority of my time with them.
Lincoln and I would always talk about things when I went over their house, when he would pick me up to go to church and on the way home. They always made time for me on Saturdays if there was an activity I was interested in, etc.
He helped me combat and engage all these things in our Christian sub culture; kind of what you do Jon.
I remember one time in high school I said, "I don't need money, all I need is God." And he said, "Well that's not true, you need money to pay for things." So it was this kind of talks and his wisdom that helped me understand living in the world and not of the world. I could go on.
I always get the best wisdom from my 9 year old daughter, Alyssa. One day, I was very sick and weak, I had no strength for anything at all. To top it off, I had no job, no income, and no money for medicine. She had asked me to do something with her that I just couldn't do physically or financially. My response was to tell her, "I have no energy, no strength, and no money, I just can't do that or anything right now, I'm too weak."
ReplyDeleteWithout missing a beat she said, "Mommy, that's great! When you're weak and have nothing God can do so many things with you! He'll make you really strong and we'll have everything we need because He'll make sure we get it."
She's given me many other pearls of wisdom like this, but that one stuck out more than the rest. Every time I feel I can't go on I remember her telling me that, and remember she got it straight from God.
What Kelley said about Albus Dumbledore. I have gotten sooo much wisdom from the Harry Potter books. Truly.
ReplyDeleteWhen my son was about 4, he announced his rules for life. "These are my rules," he said.
ReplyDelete1. I want things the way I want them.
2. God is more powerful.
3. Mom and Dad love you even when you're bad.
4. Eat chili quickly.
I find myself living by these almost every day. Especially #2. (But #4 comes in handy as well.)
I have been so blessed to grow up in an amazing church. I have literally been there my entire life. Because of that I have been so blessed to receive advice from some of the most amazing believers in the world. A few of my favorites are the ladies I was blessed enough to be in a Bible study with last year. They were all at least 20 years my senior, and I loved it. They had been through so much-including the things that I am just now going through. They really helped to reinforce what Paul tells us about being "in this world, but now of it". At a time when most of the people my age are moving in with there significant others and abandaning their faith because they like what this world has to offer-these women of the faith helped keep me strong and showed me what it looked like to charge after Christ with everything in me and how amazing life is when you do that. Thank you to Gail, Bonnie, Cathy, Eileen, Kathy and Donna!
ReplyDeleteHannah
When my oldest child (now 16) was 3, I realized I was throwing the word "obey" his direction all the time. One day, in the middle of a "stern discussion" about his behavior, it occurred to me that he may not even know that the WORD obey means.
ReplyDeleteI said, "Do you know what 'obey' means?"
He thought for a moment and then replied, "Obey means 'I love you.'"
I do not know when I have been so convicted by such simplicity.
I am high school teacher who tends to stress about how my students do because I tended to put it all on my shoulders. My husband a few years ago told me I needed to approach it from the perspective that if I am pleasing God in what I do that should be enough. It has made a world of difference in how I approach my teaching.
ReplyDeleteSolomon. Proverbs 3:5-6
ReplyDeleteMy college soccer coach. When we would all complain about biased referees or inclement weather as reasons for our poor results in games, he would remind us "You can only control the controllables." He taught me pretty well that lesson, that worrying about things or complaining about things was pointless if you couldn't control it anyways.
ReplyDeleteI can't control the rain, so why worry about it. I can't control everything bad that can happen to me in life, again, no point worrying about it. I can only control how I respond to people or how well I pass or trap a ball, etc.
Jesus even mentioned something about birds and bee and flowers not worrying about stuff, because God was in control. Control the controllables and if you can't control the situation... don't worry over it.
A safari guide in Kenya gave me two interesting pieces of wisdom:
ReplyDelete1. He compared his wife to his mother. I know, bad idea...but maybe not in this case.
He said when you marry, your marriage partner is like your mother. You might not always agree, but you can't turn around and say that your mother is not your mother. It just wouldn't be true.
2. When asked "what is the meaning of life?"
he said "I'm not sure, but while I have it, I intend to see it as a gift. You can't give it back, so you might as well enjoy it"
Neither of these comments are earth-shattering pieces of wisdom, but it was good to be reminded.
Incidentally, this guy was one of the most joyful people I'd ever met, so he must be on to something.
My father had only an eighth grade education, but he used all of his education and 30 years' worth of draws from the school of hard knocks to ingrain life resources into the three of us children. Among other methods, he coined little phrases to spout on appropriate occasions. One of his favorites was, "I don't care how smart you think you are as long as you're smart enough to keep me from knowing it." He would be 103 years old if he had not gone to his reward in 1980, and my brothers and I often quote him in our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteA dog.
ReplyDeleteA dog was being walked on the other side of the street coming towards me, staring at me. So I stared back. It was an alpha dog moment for both me and the dog. The dog kept staring at me as it walked, so I did the same. The dog was finally directly across the street from me, so I was not watching where I was going. Soon enough, I hit my head on a telephone pole harder than ever. The dog had won. I had lost. I thought about this event as my head throbbed, and I realized that the dog wasn't just staring at me. It was teaching me something. It wanted to teach me a lesson on pride. It was a humbling and inspirational event.
The dog showed me. Wisdom.
-alex
Mel here from the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteThru my second baby (who's now 7 months old), born NINE yrs after our first.
we thought it was time to give up trying to have another one... "God wants us to have only 1 so let's just be thankful..."
then as if He was saying something like, "SURPRISE!"
well, let's just say it was the best surprise we've ever gotten.
The question was out of my mouth before I realized that I was asking it: "Will you share with me two things that you believe are true?"
ReplyDeleteSammi blinked in surprise. "Anything? Anything that's true?"
After a brief pause, he offered "I believe that there is a God. I believe that God loves us."
I now listen to hear God's wisdom everywhere, *especially* in gas stations.
Just recently I began to blog. I was desperately lonely in my infertility and in our journey into adoption.
ReplyDeleteImagine my surprise when people found me and began commenting. Through their comments I hooked into their blogs. There are now 8-10 women who have experienced infertility and the adoption journey and all of the emotions that go into it.
These new friends - they have imparted such wisdom on topics from trusting God to writing a profile to the fear of becoming a mother, that I will be forever grateful. But I have found wisdom in being brave enough to share my struggle and being smart enough to listen to the women who have gone before me.
The thing about wisdom is, it's better to gain it from experience than to hear it from someone. I've had many friends, family members, teachers, and preachers who have taught me a lot about wisdom. I've been blessed with wise people.
ReplyDeleteBut I've learned the most from my alcoholic father. We don't have a good relationship and never have. We talk maybe a couple times a year, and it's just meaningless chatter.
More than anything, I want to learn from his mistakes. He was "wise" enough to show me the wrong way of living life. Because of him, I am wise enough to know the consequences of bad choices without doing the actions.
I will still make mistakes and need the wisdom of God and others to help me, but with my dad's example, I have avoided the "normal" teenage mistakes and made it through life thus far.
My old pastor, Steve, once took the college group to the cemetery on a whim. He had us walk around, looking at the cemetery, thinking about what it was that these people were remembered for.
ReplyDeleteAfter walking around for 45 minutes or so, he asked us two simple questions
1) What do you want to be remembered for
2) What are you going to do now in order to make that happen
I have to kind of explain this one cause it may seem harsh. I have had a problem with being a people pleaser for a long time. It took someone on my second submarine to look at why I did the things I did even though he himself was not a christian. He told me "There are billions of people in this world, they're not all going to like you." That is true even when you try to be like Jesus.
ReplyDeleteMy counselor.
ReplyDeleteI was separated and trying to sort things out, and I'd sit on the couch and go yada yada yada and waa waa waa about the past and he did this and she said that...
And he would say, "Okay. So what?"
And I realized that it was up to me to choose to move forward, regardless of what had been.
I learned a lot about grace that way.
So far, the biggest life lesson or nugget of wisdom I have learned came directly from God following a family tragedy. My mother died August 4, 2008. She was 50, I was 23 and my boys were two years old and two weeks old at the time. I'm glad that I was able to learn this at such an early age so that I have many years to put it to practice....
ReplyDeleteWhat I have learned through my mother's illness and passing last year would be this:
We often hear the phrase, "live every day as if it were your last day on earth." I say, don't. If I do this then I will do selfish things, hurt people. It is MY last day, after all! Instead, I should live as if it is everyone else's last day, full of love, compassion, mercy and understanding for all I come in contact with, looking for ways to help and serve others. And by doing this I am also serving Christ.
Bob Ross said "we don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents." While there certainly are mistakes in life, I think there are also a lot of "happy little accidents" that turn out blessings in disguise. He may have been talking about painting, but that's wisdom to me.
ReplyDelete"Everything in moderation, including moderation," said an old family friend.
ReplyDeleteHe probably hi-jacked the phrase from an unknown source. (I hope it wasn't a fortune cookie.)
But old family friends always carry pleasantly familiar tone of authority and wisdom - even if spouting clichés.
I've been pondering this for awhile. I work with kids so I always come home with nuggets of wisdom from them.
ReplyDeleteBut really when it comes down to it as much as I don't want to admit it, my mom gives me the same piece of wisdom in every season of my life and it was these words of hers that helped me get through her being sedated in the ICU for a month after near respitory failure.
Time and time again my mom says this to me.
"90 % of the things we worry about won't happen"
So even though most of the time I want to verbally slap her for saying that while I am freaking out about something, I know in my heart it's true. And I know as a Christian I need not worry but trust in God, but one of my biggest downfalls is worrying. But like I said my mom always tells me that in the most mom way ever.
I have received the best wisdom that has carried me through too many major military deployments and sadly I can't remember who it was... but it goes something like this. When your husband leaves you have to love him enough and trust God enough to completely give him over to Christ. Allow God to take care of him, protect him and you until you return together. God has never let us down, and I also not naive enough to realize that if something does happen to Mark, God will continue to take care of me and my family and protect us from ourselves and our thoughts. BTW: my husband leaves for another deployment in 6 weeks.
ReplyDeleteMy sister.
ReplyDelete"Stop listening to yourself and start talking to yourself"
ie - stop letting your unrestrained thoughts and feelings be in charge and start focusing on God's truths and running THOSE over and over in your head!
SUCH a great piece of wisdom!
I have been blessed by receiving wisdom from a number of people. Two who stand out are my former youth group leader, and one of my bible study leaders from college. My youth group leader helped me out of a dark time and helped me improve relationships around me. When it came time to make a college decision, she told me, that in my situation, it wasn't like God was going to completely bless me for choosing college A and shun me if I chose college B. Yes, God did have a plan for me, and things would be better if I followed it, but if I "picked wrong", God wasn't going to turn His back on me. It was incredibly reassuring.
ReplyDeleteI think one of my favorite stories of wisdom sharing was when I was in high school. We had two college students that summer as interns for the youth group, a girl and a guy. One weekend that summer we had a retreat where the guys stayed at one house and the girls stayed at another. The girl leader (Amy) shared some amazing stuff with us that weekend. The one thing I will never forget though was that she gave each of the girls a set of typed-out Bible verses with our names at the top. It was Psalm 139. Amy told us all weekend about how we as women should not be so hard on ourselves and how God made us all and knows every part of us. It was a wonderful message for young women (most of whom had self-esteem issues) and I won't forget it. Amy is still at our church today and I love that I have someone as wonderfully wise as her to look up to!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad. He told me in highschool that I should not show any boys my belly because that makes them think of things they shouldn't. He also told me before I got married that my husband should love God first and foremoremost, should be my best friend, and should make me laugh. He also told me that boys only have one thing on their minds...even if they tell you otherwise, they are lying. They only think about one thing. He's full of great wisdom and has been right in pretty much every case! :<)
ReplyDeleteI am a 3rd generation Baptist. I was raised in a "go to church every time the doors are open" family. My Dad was raised the same way. However, my Dad went through a time of rebellion from age 12 to age 29. During that time, he did many things that he is ashamed of. He saw the world, how it works and how it destroys lives. After he married my mom at age 30, he became a preacher and decided he wanted to raise his family separated from the world. He threw away his TV and homeschooled all 8 of his children. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the sacrifices he made for his children. He and mom were ridiculed by their families and even by Christians for their lifestyle. Now as a 25 year old mother of my first little one, I see the wisdom in what they did. My parents didn't have to say a word to show me wisdom, they just lived their lives by Faith.
ReplyDeleteWho has shared wisdom with me? God.
ReplyDeleteAll I can think of right now is...God.
my mother in law, my husband, nancy
ReplyDeleteMy mom. It was 5 years ago and I was suffering from debilitating morning sickness while pregnant with my son. While moaning to my mom on the phone about how I was going to have to quit my job because I just couldn't take it any more, she responded with, "Don't ever make career decisions when your head is in a toilet!"
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I took her advice, stayed at my job and learned a huge lesson about perseverance. I've needed/relied on that wisdom many times while parenting my four-year old (and preparing for his baby sister to arrive in a few months)!
My aunt has been an incredible source of wisdom to me. Although not a believer, she has learned to value people in a way that I can only hope that I will. She's an artist and is constantly asking questions and trying to understand people's hearts and what drives them.
ReplyDeleteShe didn't have the money to support me in a mission trip, but she wrote me the kindest letter on how my presence in the world is making everything more beautiful. She has such unique and creative ways of expressing her love. She used to sit on the floor with my brother when he was younger, and because my brother wanted to be an inventor, she'd spend hours helping him come up with things to invent. They'd make sketches and she'd help him shade with lots of bright colors. She spends every waking moment loving others, asking questions, and helping them pursue their heart's greatest desire, even if she doesn't agree with it. And I am so grateful for her.
My son who was 5 at the time. I was feeling bad, like I needed to do more "big and awesome" things with him, and we were sitting together on the couch, with a blanket, eating popcorn adn watching a movie, and he said, "Dad, I'm so glad just to be with you." That's wisdom...just spend time with your kids, and they'll love you for it.
ReplyDeleteEveryone struggles with big decisions. Heck, everyone struggles with little decisions. Usually they're made easier with God's guidance. Doors opening and closing, feeling peace or not, and so forth. But sometimes, you still wonder if you chose the right path. I was at that point once, involving leaving a church and making a big move. I was worried that maybe I had done the wrong thing, and that I wouldn't be able to follow in God's will for me now. A good friend told me, "Andrea, if you truly believe you are following the Lord's will now, whether you are or not, He will bless your steps. Even if you aren't, do you really think that God will let you go astray and just forget about you as a lost cause? No, He will redirect your steps back to His way." It gave me so much comfort that as long as I'm constantly consulting God and what He wants for me, one way or another, I will end up on His path. :)
ReplyDeleteWisdom is all around us – if we are open to it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I’m looking for discernment or wisdom, I pray that God will bring into my life people, experiences, music, books that will help me understand what I need to know or do –
For the record – I really liked the “Heart/Wisdom” tattoo answer!
While I know that the ultimate source of wisdom is God, He's also wise enough to use someone else to say the words when I'm not listening to Him. For that reason, my high school choir teacher became a great source of wisdom and guidance for me. Feeling abandoned by my father, he spent a lot of time talking to me and listening to me whine about my oh-so-awful problems. And to this day (I graduated 10 years ago), many of the things he said to me have stuck with me. Among the more important was "each person's pain is their own". When I was selfishly struggling with how easy my friends had it, he reminded me that we are instructed to laugh with those that laugh and cry with those who cry and for God's sake quit comparing my problems and pains with theirs. It is just as good advice now as it was then.
ReplyDeletePS. Thanks to all the teachers out there that take the time to care for their students and share your wisdom.
ReplyDeleteMy 20-year-old daughter Sarah. How? By throwing off the conservative Christian appearance she was raised to embrace and taking on a look far more suited to sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, all the while remaining the most on-fire for the Lord person I know. She is determined "to deconstruct a false reality here, bit by materialistic bit" (her words) by attempting to counter the Christian stereotype she sees so many trying to conform to regardless of who they really are inside, and it has forced me to learn more about grace and acceptance and wrong expectations than I ever would have on my own.
ReplyDeleteIt would have to be my little boy. When he was four, the two of us were taking a shortcut down the ally behind our small downtown, trying to get to the post office just a little faster.
ReplyDeleteWe passed a group of boys who were about 10 or 11, wearing all black. Black tee-shirts, black ripped jeans, arm bands, leather wrist cuffs, you get the idea. They weren't smoking or anything, they were just watching us as we drove by.
I muttered something like, "D.J., look at that. I hope you don't turn out like them."
My little guy started sniffling, and then wailing. Through his tears he said, "Mom, I can't believe you would say that about a BOY!!!"
Gulp. He was right. I was totally judging a boy. Not a thug or a "hood" or a bad person, but one of God's own kids. That little expression was the wisest thing he could have said to me, and I've never forgotten it.
D.J. is 16 now and I see his shaggy hair and goofy styles, and I love every inch of him!
Who has shared wisdom with me:
ReplyDeleteI have a college professor whose words i try to repeat to myself every morning and ever evening.
He would speak of the power of God that washes us and allows us to live another day not condemned, but pure before him. He says that no matter what happens in life, we have to remember we are God's. His quote that sums all this and so much more up: "You wake up a saint, and you go to bed beloved."
no matter what happens in my day, i am not loved by God any less, and he still grants me the grace to wake up each morning a saint, by his mercy.
When I was 16 I was called to be a missionary. Now almost 10 years later I still haven't started my life overseas. I haven't even finished my schooling. So, one day, very frustrated from my never ending school life and lack of oversea-ness I was talking to my friend Jalah. I told her how I wasn't sure if God was wanting me to stay stateside and finish school or go to Madagascar for 3 years through a mission board that I had been talking with. I really wanted to be overseas, but I really wanted to be in God's will even if that meant that I wouldn't be going overseas for a while. I was terrified that I was going to make a wrong decision.
ReplyDeleteJalah told me, "Dani, if you live to bring God glory, then that is what He'll get. You can go to Africa and profess His name or you can stay here and do the same. No matter what path you choose, He already knows it. In the end, He will get the glory. Especially if you make the biggest mistake of your life. You making that mistake would show that God is bigger than anything that you can do."
And it is absolutely true! I can't stand frozen because I'm afraid that I'll make the wrong descision. I have to be willing to make mistakes so that God can show His mighty power when I'm in an impossible situation. Then, He will get the glory!!
Thanks Jalah!
this will sound odd..
ReplyDeletebut the easy bake oven i had 20+ years ago.
it taught me that you can control the outcome sometimes but not always.
it's ok to change the pattern but there are lines that you still have to say within.
it taught me that the product is worth the wait.. usually.. and if not, you can always try again.
that giving provides more joy than bunkering things. (especially giving to grandparents)
and also not to inhale things that smell funky.
it did all this and was fun, too.
When I was an art student at a Christian university, we had a random man from the community come take a sculpture class with us. The only way I can describe him was... he behaved like I would expect someone tripping on acid to behave. We started chatting with him one day, and we discovered he grew up as a pastor's son. I continued to listen after my classmates walked away, and he described his really sad life up to his mother's concern for his salvation. He told me something I'll never forget. He said, "We're all part of the body. Some of us are just the smelly wet parts." My first reaction was: "Ew." That was right before I realized my oblivion where people suffer and fail while truly wanting to follow God. So... wisdom from an unexpected source.
ReplyDeleteTo Alex @ 5:59, I think your story about the dog was amazing. It really struck a cord in me and I will remember that story for a while to come. It's strange how the natural things and the spiritual things can come together to teach us something profound with such simplicity. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I go to my sister’s house and my 2 year old niece screams out my name and runs into my arms, she teaches me about God’s unconditional love.
ReplyDeleteFour years ago, I came to Christ and immediately encountered a youth leader named Robyn who had recently started walking wit God. She put up with all my crap, my crazy 2 year abusive relationship, my freaking out, my meanness, etc; and now I find myself living in her house (after my family kicked me out at age 17) for over a year now.
ReplyDeleteShe is constantly a wealth of wisdom for me, always offering up tidbits of life-changing stuff. One night I remember more clearly is about a week before I moved in. She told me that I didn't have to be like my family (addicted, confused, co-dependent and dysfunctional), but that I could make a decision right then to be someone different.
Though I haven't completely always lived up to that decision (like when I packed up to go live in the world again, but Robyn poured out grace and allowed me to stay when my family didn't want me back), it still always rings in my mind.
Out of everyone God has placed in my life, for her I am most grateful.
Her name is Emma. She's a little widow lady who made it her business to be my friend and mentor. Over the last 20 years, she's stuck to me like glue - even when I got annoyed at her, she just kept on loving me and words from God to me. She's not afraid to speak truth to me even when it hurts. I need that, I think we all need that.
ReplyDeleteI think one of my most profound experiences in communication with God was a few years ago, when I was a brand new believer - I just started going to church, and still was not sure about my faith, and God, but was in that perfect stage of happy-shiny.
ReplyDeleteI just started driving, and was still getting very nervous when getting on big roads.
My best friend lived about 30 minutes away, off in the wooded area - a farm house on 3 acres of land, and you could get to it only by the long road, nestled between the "jungle" of Florida swamp without any streetlights. It was really spooky driving there at night, but I had to make the trip because we had Bible Study every Wed night. I really liked the Bible Study, but dreaded the drive each time. When I was driving there, I would grip the steering wheel until my knuckles were white, my heart would pound, and every time there was a car behind me - started panicking. I imagined all sorts of horrific things that happen to people on dark roads at night.
One Wednesday, while at work, I was already stressing over the drive. In the office bathroom, I just said - Lord, I really want to be going, but I just find myself looking for an excuse to get out of it, simply because im scared of driving. I know this sounds cheezy, but..could you give me a sign of what I should do? How do I conquer this fear?
I felt a bit cheezy, asking for a sign and all. You know how it is, especially if you are a new believer. I guess I was just hoping that he will magically take the fear out of my heart.
That very day, driving home from work, I turn into our neighborhood - it's a sunny afternoon, a perfect day. I see a young man and his little son - must have been 2-3 years old, cute little boy. He was riding one of those Tonka cars - red car, yellow top, the kind with the hole on the bottom that the kid can shuffle his feet to move.
Driving past them very slow (I seen them often in the neighborhood), I felt as if something or someone turned my head towards the two - The father was holding a rope tied to the front of the toy-car, where the kind was sitting: happy and oblivious, really engrossed in "driving". The dad was the one pulling his car, watching the road for oncoming cars.
That was the day when I felt that undeniable, overpowering presence and love. That scene for was me, I knew it then and I knew it now. I don't think any amount of important words said by Morgan Freeman, or lightning, or writing on the wall could have penetrated my heart as deep as this simple scene.
Right then and there I realized - I don't drive the car - God is pulling the rope. He is watching for the oncoming traffic, he is the one who clears the rocks for the street. Im just here for the ride, even though I am that oblivious child, who is simply enjoying the ride.
How awesome is His voice that can be so quiet, but cut so deep through one's whole being.
Cool experience. Thanks for sharing and reminding me of the awesomeness of our great Heavenly Father! www.dsimlergoff.com
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