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“ My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad; my innermost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.” Proverbs 23:15 NIV

“Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 24:14 NIV 

I am incredibly blessed to have amazing relationships with my son and my daughter. We are as close as you can be, and they still talk to me about pretty much everything. They know, with certainty, I am always there for them. Such a blessing…..I think. 99.9% of the time. Then there is that tiny percent of the time…..

My daughter recently went through a situation. At one point amid the tears and pain I said to her “Think of an oyster. A grain of sand gets into it. That irritates it tremendously. As the oyster can’t get rid of the grain of sand, it starts to coat it with a substance (nacre) until a beautiful pearl is formed.”  I believe sometimes God does that. Something happens in life, and you just can’t seem to shake it or get rid of it. The more you try, the worse it gets. Yet if we allow God’s word, His presence and His promises to fill us it  can soothe and bring peace. Make the irritation bearable. Not only that but the end result can be wisdom. Just like the beautiful, priceless pearl that is formed in the oyster, wisdom is also priceless, maybe more so. Unfortunately, wisdom comes through trials and usually pain. At least that seems to be the case.

Lately, I seem to be getting more than a few grains of sand into my life. I could probably string a necklace (or 5) with the pearls I seem to be making! You’d probably say, “Wow, that’s a lot of wisdom you’re acquiring Michelle.”  Nope, sure doesn’t feel like it. It just feels like a whole lot of sand. Tell me you haven’t felt like that once, twice a million times in your life. Refer back to the previous paragraph please, where I said if we allow Gods word to penetrate those trials it can bring peace. That sounds wonderful, it is certainly the truth, but actually doing it is another thing altogether different. I think  more times than I’d like “Lord I don’t want the wisdom, just make everything better! Make it all work out the way I want it to work out. Fix it and PLEASE let it be painless.”  Unfortunately, God doesn’t usually work like that, unless that’s what He wants to happen. More often than not there is something very particular He wants to show you or me. And more often than not, there is a degree of pain involved. Mind you, the pain doesn’t come from Him. It comes from us. We find ourselves refusing to let go of something or listen to Him when He talks. ( And make no mistake, He talks. Always. We just may or may not listen.) Thinking WE know more than He does…

Just like the oyster doesn’t immediately produce a pearl, wisdom does not come quickly or easily or without cost. It comes in the pressures and difficulties of life. The challenging times, the painful times. Honestly there are times I get so exasperated with situations, I don’t want wisdom, comfort, anything, just God to literally come down, hug me and then fix it. That’s it, just make it all go away. I know that will be someday, that’s what we hold onto. I just want someday to be now.

But… it isn’t. Now is now. Dealing with things everyday is in the now. I suppose my daughter comes to me because she seeks my wisdom. That makes me smile because I didn’t think I had that much. But as I sat God reminded me of what I have gone through in my life. More to the point, what HE has gotten me through in my life whether or not I realized it at the time. Has He not gotten us through things in our lives? Maybe true wisdom is knowing that, recognizing that, and sharing that with whomever needs to hear it.

My daughter is gaining her own wisdom that one day she can share and use to enrich her own life and help her with decisions when she needs to  make them, always remembering that true wisdom comes from God. He provides it when we seek it. May we never not seek it. I also reminded her God did not make the Red Sea disappear when the Israelites stood at its shore. He parted it for them. He made a way. So He does with us. He doesn’t always take the problem away. He makes a way for us with His love and guidance to walk through it. And that walk can be brutal at times. Let’s be honest, it can be. But He never leaves us on our own. And when we get to the opposite shore of the journey He leaves us a gift, wisdom. May we always have the ability to recognize this for the priceless  treasure it is.

PRAYER

Dear Father,

We come to you today seeking wisdom. Open our hearts and minds to Your truth that we may understand Your will and follow in Your path. Give us the peace to know You will never leave us no matter how difficult the journey gets. May your wisdom lead us to humility, grace, and strength in all we do.

In Your Holy Name we pray,

Amen