Reflections from the Home Team - June 5, 2022
May we seek God’s wisdom in our lives, because yes, God does know a thing or two, because He has seen a thing or two!
Greetings from Cedar Falls!
I’ve always believed that we gain wisdom through life experience—and with everything we’ve been through both individually and as a nation over the past year, we should all be brilliant sages, and scholars. Whether dealing with senseless violence, the evil being committed on the world stage targeting innocent civilians or dealing with the aftermath and recovery of a pandemic, we have all gained valuable “life experience” that can be used to learn from and make necessary adjustments in our daily lives.
The older I get, (and I’m feeling it on occasion) the more I believe that the knowledge we gain through life experience contributes to our individual wisdom. Wisdom is more than just knowledge, however. It is the application of knowledge and the discernment that comes from perspective. I think a good way to put it is: “Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.” Knowledge is certainly required for wisdom. After all, you must have a foundation on which to build. But it’s possible to have knowledge—book smarts or awareness of something—without the judgement that goes along with how to use it.
What is wisdom? Well, there are many definitions for wisdom. My favorite definition is that “wisdom is knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life.” In this definition, wisdom comes with time and experience. Clearly, to me, the concept of “wisdom” can be complicated.
This past week, I had the opportunity to visit my son John and his family at his home in Wayzata, Minnesota. We attended Sunday services at his Church and was blessed to hear a message from his pastor, Kevin Meyer titled ‘Get Wise, Everyday Wisdom’. He focused his message on several verses from Proverbs while tying it together with an analogy using the Farmers Insurance slogan “We know a thing or two, because we’ve seen a thing or two.”
For me. it was timely and helped simplify the concept of wisdom. I took away several points that have been very helpful for me as I deal with some of the “life experiences” that I have encountered over the past year. Sometimes those experiences have been unexpected, and I’ve sought God’s wisdom to answer the question why? I’ve concluded that I may never find that answer this side of heaven, and I am relying on God’s love for me as well as His wisdom to trust that those experiences will give me the opportunity to learn and grow from them. Here are a few of the points in Pastor Kevin’s message that have stuck with me over the past week…
God’s Wisdom is all around us. Proverbs 4:1-11
(Yes, God does know a thing or two, because He has seen a thing or two!)
Our ‘survive moments’ in life need God’s wisdom in order to thrive.
God’s wisdom is available to everyone. Proverbs 8:4-5
God’s wisdom is trustworthy and valuable. Proverbs 8:6-11
God’s wisdom keeps good companions. Proverbs 8:12-16
God’s wisdom produces good results. Proverbs 8:17-19
God’s wisdom is proven. Proverbs 8:23-27
Pastor Kevin’s message emphasized that the Lord calls us to listen and act on His invitation to come to His table. That invitation may come in many forms. Perhaps one day, it happens in the middle of a conversation with a friend. Another day, it might be in a challenging moment with a co-worker or a child, a spouse, or a parent. If we accept His invitation and act, our lives become wonderfully complicated as He opens a new understanding for us through the wisdom and grace He shares out of His unconditional love for us. Our perspective might shift, a friendship might deepen, our language might soften. This wisdom is not possible on our own but is a gift from God.
Proverbs 8:34 sheds some light on listening and acting on God’s invitation.
“Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.” Proverbs 8:34
We cannot grow in wisdom on our own. It takes a commitment to listen, to watch, and to wait. By listening to the Lord, waiting on Him, and working for Him, we will be invited into deepening wisdom. If interested, you can view Pastor Kevin’s message on ‘getting wise’ at this link:
https://subsplash.com/wayzatafreechurch/media/mi/+ffk2qgs
There are plenty of reasons we all need wisdom—and the first couple of reasons are happiness and fulfillment. When you make wise decisions, you keep your immediate needs in mind, along with holding long-term perspectives. This is key to making choices that bring joy to our lives. Wisdom is worth understanding—because it can be developed. Perhaps most importantly, it can be put to good use in our work and lives while making decisions, sustaining success, and reinforcing relationships. Wisdom isn’t reserved only for the elderly or the aged. Anyone can be wise based on their characteristics and skills—not just their years of experience.
Sometimes when we pray for the wisdom to deal with life’s challenges and to hear the voice of God, we hear spiritual crickets… nothing. The frustration is real. There is nothing inherently wrong with praying for those things. But at times, I find myself attempting to maneuver God to grant my wishes. Laying out my will and praying for God’s Divine notary seal is not how this should work. Blessings in our lives are not just receiving good things from God, because our blessings may come through the raindrops in our lives, healing may come with tears because the trials in our lives may be God’s mercies dressed in camouflage.
May we each seek God’s wisdom in our lives, because yes, God does know a thing or two, because He has seen a thing or two!
Blessings to all!
Dave
Reflections from the Home Team Book Series
David Welter, a cancer survivor, has continued to share encouragement and inspiration for others who may be facing not only serious health issues such as cancer, but other life challenges as well since his cancer diagnosis in 2009.
Both books, (Reflections from the Home Team… Go the Distance and Reflections from the Home Team… STAYING POSITIVE When Life Throws You a Curve!) include reflections from the author sharing an encouraging attitude, a spiritual insight, and a step to consider which are frequently blended with baseball analogies and metaphors. Life’s challenges are not easy, just as baseball is not always easy.
The game provides many lessons about success and failure, and those lessons can often be applied in our life journeys. As life’s curveballs and challenges come our way, Welter encourages reaching out to our “Home Teams” (both human and divine) for the strength, love, support, and comfort needed to meet them.
To find out more about the book series, visit our website at:
reflectionsfromthehometeam.com
There you will find the book overviews and purpose, the book’s locations as well as the author’s Reflections Blog Site and how to order your personalized, signed copies of both books. They make a great gift for someone you may know who is need of some positivity and encouragement! A reminder that so often in life, the difference between success and failure is belief, and so often someone who encouraged us instills that belief in us… Be an ENCOURAGER!
