God on the Net

" Wisdom, according to the Bible, is about the sense you make of creation in order to live effectively" ( Uncommon Wisdom, 52). The King James Version of the English Bible refers to the Hebrew book of "Proverbs" as the "wisdom necessary for life."

How do you tell what's right from what's wrong?
In human interactions, how do you know what will work and what won't?
How do you know when to speak up, how to say something just right (to persuade someone to your point of view) or when to just keep silent?
How do you discern which friends are a good influence on you (or your children)?
How do you distinguish between a good decision and bad one?
How do you tell a great investment from a poor one?
How do you assess a prudent risk vs. a foolish one?
How do you know which bills you can put off?
How do you know which friend, counselor, or advisor to listen to?
Where do you find the resourcefulness to deal with life's many challenges?

Have you ever tried to find your way in a new part of town without directions or a map? Chances are you got lost or confused. You even may have become scared or upset. In any case, you undoubtedly failed to reach your destination on time or had a difficult time getting there. Life is the same way . Wisdom provides us with a map of the landscape we seek to navigate. However, this isn't just any old atlas. This one has "dead end," "one way," "no return," etc. clearly marked. Like a good tourist map, it also highlights the destinations truly worth visiting, and those considered a waste of time and worth avoiding. Wisdom helps us understand our world, especially the people in it, and why they act the way they do.

Wisdom gives us something more important than a high IQ-it provides us with perspective

. Wisdom provides the ability to see the "big picture" and to make sense of our world, to understand the causal relationship between actions and consequences, and to know what will persuade and motivate others.

In essence, wisdom explains how life works. Incorporating a wiser perspective helps everything "fall into place." Wisdom teaches us good character, patience, prudence, discipline, integrity, discernment and discretion-the fundamental keys to success. Wisdom is our source of "deep knowing"-the wellspring of creative insight or brilliant intuition-all vital to our life's mission and personal fulfillment.

According to the wisest sage of the Jews, King Solomon, wisdom provides true power as well as protection. The Bible's main wisdom section, the Hebrew Proverbs, written 1,000 years before Jesus, promises us that wisdom will give us:

In summary, wisdom is essential to our physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Holy Scriptures portray wisdom as the secret to a long, peaceful, and prosperous life. Why? Because w isdom is the ability to make prudent decisions. And our lives are recreated daily by our decisions.

When you give this concept serious thought, you can determine this: that 90 percent of our problems are due to poor choices (we choose our career, education, spouse, business relationships and friends; we choose how to relate to everyone in our life; we choose how to train our children; we choose how to take care of our bodies). Wisdom leads to intuition or insight to be able to better discern the nature or essence of any situation.

He speaks wisely, makes wise decisions, and is a "life strategist."
He approaches things carefully. He's willing to take a risk, but does so with caution.
She is resourceful and very busy-but not too busy to take care of the most important priorities: herself and her loved ones, and her relationship with God. She's secure in herself. She's internally validated. That is to say, she knows when she's right or when she's doing well, rather than externally validated-- being dependent on other people's opinions or analyses of her or her production.
He is active: an active reader, active in his community, active with his family, enjoying life, taking an active role in his children's lives.
He's passionate about life and about his mission, and because of that, he emanates a certain power. He has the power to "make things happen." He's a doer, a "mover and a shaker."
She radiates life's energy. She's alive in a big way, a delight to be around. Just being in her presence encourages others and brightens their days.

A person following life's eternal success rules is diligent in what they do. T hey keep their commitments, are concerned about their integrity, and take pride in their appearance. They are magnanimous, with "large hearts" and a zest for life. I Kings 4:29 says "And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore." They are intellectually curious and spiritually committed without being intolerant of others' views. They are mature enough to realize that their interpretations of history, politics and theology, etc. , are exactly that-their own interpretations or opinions. They have a broad perspective, possessing the ability to see, understand and empathize with others and diverse viewpoints. They are relentlessly committed to never-ending improvement. They are committed to following the example Jesus set in loving others; but they're also keenly aware that, unlike Jesus, they won't be able to do it perfectly.