Wisdom

Photo by Lori Kennedy

Wisdom 

                                                           by
                                                   Lori Kennedy

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.”James 1:5(CEV) 

Oh how I wish I knew at 25 what I know at 45 after 20 more years of living, being a mother and wife, seeking God, and 20 more years of falling down and getting back up over and over again. Each day I continue to have life, I realize how much I don’t know and how much there is still to learn.  I remember back to the days when I thought old consisted of anyone over the age of 25 and I thought “old” people were dumb.  I also thought I knew just about everything about everything and oh so much more than anyone else knew.  

We can say that’s just a stage young people go through.  Or, we can call it what it is…the sin of pride.  I was seeking a life consisting of what I considered successful by the world’s standards.  For me it all stemmed from not understanding my identity and not seeking Christ in all things.  I was not a Christ follower at that time and in my people pleasing overachieving way, I was attempting to find worldly success at the sacrifice of my very self; my heart, my dreams and my desires.  I became wise in my own eyes.  God had very special plans for me but I was not seeking them because I was too busy selfishly seeking what I wanted and what I considered was successful; which was worldly success. 

We have all been created with the internal desire to make a difference in this world.  It’s how our heavenly Father designed us.  If we don’t seek wisdom from God in living that out, we might end up seeking things that aren’t part of His hope for our lives.  Those things may not even be bad things.  I once read about a girl who defined herself through her success at swimming.  It was all she lived for.  Swimming in itself is not a bad thing, but if you are defining yourself through your success at any given activity (for me music, playing guitar, singing), then, sooner or later, you will be left feeling unsatisfied.  If our identity is determined by our success at something, then that can be a problem as there will be times that we will fall short of that success.  The first way to make a difference is to find our identity in Him and seek His will.  By making Him famous first, you will make the largest difference in this world. 

The scripture above says to ask God for wisdom and it will be given to you.  I don’t know about you, but I want to make a difference in this world and I want to do it God’s way not man’s way and not my way.  I need ongoing and continued wisdom for that.  Wisdom that I don’t have inside myself; but wisdom that I can get by asking God for it through prayer, seeking it through reading God’s Word, and communicating with God’s people. 

What does making a difference look like in your life?