Where’s wisdom when you need it? I am definitely not feeling wise lately. On the other hand, I am not feeling particularly unwise either. To be unwise sounds so harsh. I actually looked “unwise” up, I’m that desperate today. I found some synonyms for “unwise”: imprudent, ill-advised, unsound, unreasonable, short-sighted, (it gets worse) foolish, senseless, reckless, stupid….(oh, dear). I hope I am somewhere in the middle: not wise or unwise, but somewhere in between, looking for enough wisdom to get through the day without messing it up too badly.
Actually, it sounds dangerous to admit any of this at all. A pastor, of all people, is supposed to be wise, isn’t she? What if the congregation finds out that my state of being wise is in question? What if they find out the state of my being unwise is nipping at my heels? Why am I blogging about this at all? Could be very “foolish.” Or “crazy,” another synonym for unwise.
I take heart for a minute or two in the words of James who seems to recognize there are times when followers of Jesus might be in a state of longing for wisdom. “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.” (James 1.5 NRSV) Well, there you go, Elaine. Just ask God. But I did already, I said , andI’m not feeling any wiser yet.
James has an answer for that too: “But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind, for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (1.6,8) Oh dear, oh dear. Now I am really doomed. I prayed for wisdom and am not sure I’ve gotten any, which makes me a doubter, so how can I expect to have gotten my prayer for wisdom answered in the first place….Thanks, but no thanks, brother James.
I have a note in my Bible from the commentators (I’ll take any help I can get today): “True wisdom is not a human achievement, but is from God…”
(A few minutes are ticking by….)
An ah-hah moment, right now, even as I sit here and write. Here it is: I should not really be asking God to make ME wise. I could wait a long time for that. No, I should be asking (and maybe this is what James means), I should be asking for God’s wisdom to enter the situation. “Let anyone who lacks wisdom, ask God…” That means it is likely that I may not be the one dispensing wisdom 🙂 for whatever situation I think I need it. Instead God, who is the Wise One, will show up and God’s generous presence with all of God’s wisdom will be there. That is what I don’t have to doubt.
In other words, I don’t have to be wise, God is. I just have to turn to God when I am unwise (yes, I can say it, unwise), and let God take over. I can do that, I think.
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