January 19, 2017
I have many fond memories from my childhood of the 70’s to mid-80’s. Many of them involved spending time doing nothing in particular as we actually ran and played outside. Some may read that and think: “That is so lame and boring.” “How can you have fun running and playing outside?” “Where were the video games and other electronic devices?”
While we did have limited electronic games, the real fun was outside, with friends, enjoying the innocence of life.
Each summer my parents would take my sisters and me to Indianapolis to spend time with our maternal grandparents. They had what seemed to be the largest yard in the neighborhood which made it just right for running and playing. It seemed too good to be true and was almost perfect. The one thing I did not care for was the daily conversation with my grandfather about education. Every day, during the time we were visiting, he would make me sit at the dining room table, open one of his ancient, dusty-looking books and either read or practice mathematics. I can still hear him saying: “You need to make sure that you are good in arithmetic (which I really am not). “They are going to build a super computer one day that will take jobs from people and you want to remain employed.” He said it so often that I could almost say it with him.
Imagine that! An old man in the 1970’s saying that in the future, some ominous computer could actually replace people in the workforce! I thought, “Nah, that would NEVER happen.” Boy, was I wrong.
As a child who wanted to go outside and play, I did not fully appreciate the discipline for education my grandfather was trying to instill. Yet I reluctantly and obediently sat down at the dining room table in my grandparents’ home, opened those ancient, dusty-looking books… and studied.
Long before you, me (or even my grandfather) was born, God said the following through Solomon:
Proverbs 10: 8 The wise in heart [are willing to learn so they] will accept and obey commands (instruction), But the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.
Amplified Bible.
We are wise when we are willing to learn and obey the instruction that we receive. In short, wisdom is the application of knowledge. It is good to learn, but knowledge that is not applied is only academic. Regardless of what we learn, information can never help us if it is not applied in life.
There is much God has said in the Bible. There is much God wants us to learn through the men and women He has sent to help teach us out of the Bible. While some consider the Bible to be an ancient, dusty book, it has lessons, information, instruction and direction that are as relevant today as it was when God spoke to the various writers. When we apply the knowledge that is contained in the Bible and also from those who have what we need to help us get to that next dimension in life, we are wise indeed.
I am no longer a child and so thankful that my grandfather was wise enough to apply what he knew to tell me to study. I am thankful that he was stern enough to not accept my excuses and made me study. I am thankful that he was loving enough to explain why I needed to study. I am thankful that I received the discipline to never stop learning. My daily prayer is to live the lessons – both Biblical and non-Biblical – I have learned so that I will not only be wise, but able to share wisdom with others.
My prayer for you is to never lose, rediscover or discover the immeasurable joy of running and playing. I pray that you always have someone who can help encourage you to grow in knowledge. I pray that you never stop learning and living the lessons which God has provided so that you can always be wise in heart.
YOUR TURN:
What are some lessons (classroom, Biblical, life, etc.) you have learned that have been most beneficial?
