Pursuing Wisdom

Often we gain wisdom and experience, or at least we should, though the years. Have you ever looked back on your life and thought, “I wish I would have known then, what I know now!” I know I have at least a few times. When my kids were little, I found myself drawn into arguments by their “whys” and “It’s not fair!” statements. I would become frustrated with the arguments, but didn’t know how to fix it. Some people told me, “You’re the mom, just tell them what to do and be done with it.” While that approach may work for some, I really wanted to hear what my kids had to say. I wanted to build a respectful relationship with them where we both listened to each other whether we agreed or not and if something really wasn’t fair, I wanted to acknowledge that rather than just say, “My word goes!” Maybe I worried about it too much. I know there are some parents who would disagree with my approach still, I just couldn’t quite stop myself from negotiating until one day after much prayer, I clearly heard God tell me, “Just refuse to argue.” That “Aha moment” was a lifesaver for me.

And that’s exactly what I did. The next time an argument threatened to break out, I simply said, “I’m not going to argue with you. Until you and I both can discuss this more calmly, I am not going to talk about it.” Then I would quietly either walk away or go about my work, ignoring my children’s “but, but it’s not fair!” Sometimes I would even suggest that we both take a time out. I know I certainly needed those time outs!

What exactly does this have to with pursuing wisdom? I guess only that pursuing wisdom often comes when we refuse to go on with the situation as it is and seek help from God, and from other reliable and godly sources. Another lesson I’ve learned recently is that wisdom can be sought after and found at any age. Certainly my mom, in the picture above, has gained much wisdom in her years. She has listened to God, tries to learn new things and loves listening and talking with people. I know she has learned a lot from her experiences through the years. She is also a prayer warrior which, I believe, is where a lot of her wisdom comes from. Yes she is still learning and I know there are others much younger than she is, who also possess wisdom because they have applied themselves to look for it.

Our church recently had a women’s event featuring a panel of ladies from a high school student to a great-grandmother. Each one of the four ladies represented a season of life and each one of them had godly wisdom. I was really impressed with the high schooler. She had made the choice to look for wisdom by intentionally reading her Bible, staying connected to church and being open to learning from others. I could identify with what she was saying completely even though I am a lot older than she is.

Wisdom is waiting to be found, but it doesn’t come to us simply by wishing to be wiser. It takes effort. It takes changing our priorities. It means letting go of some things in order to pursue that which is truly important. I don’t know about you, but I want to pursue wisdom. God, please help me let go of those things which are trivial in order to truly seek wisdom. Help me to make wise choices and establish wise habits everyday.

PARENT OR GRANDPARENT PRAYER:
Father God,
I do have some wise habits that I have learned over my lifetime, but I also have some time wasters and some temptations that I too often indulge in. Chocolate and ice-cream are two of my favorite indulgences! Lord, I know that taking a break, resting and even chocolate and ice-cream, can at times be wise choices, but help me to keep the main thing the main thing. God, I want to remember to seek wisdom and seek you first. I have built into my life a habit of reading to learn and reading your word also. I like to journal my prayers almost everyday, yet I also find that too often, distractions draw me away from the pursuit of wisdom. It only takes a text message, a phone call or perhaps sleeping through the alarm to get me sidetracked. Teach me Lord, above all else to pursue you and seek your wisdom. Order my day and give me your wisdom. I seek you and your wisdom above my pursuit for anything else. Amen
PS Lord, I see so many children today obsessed with video games and other things. Video games can be so much fun. I love my games too, but games can also be so time consuming! Some kids spend hours in front of a screen. How I long for kids to look to you above all else and seek wisdom. Encourage our kids to be wise and disciplined in their choices. Amen

KIDS CAN MAKE WISE CHOICES

• Wise advice from one of my granddaughters, “It’s really about who you are and not what others think you should do.”
  
• Grandma adds, “Trust yourself and stay true to your own values; don’t go
  along with the crowd.”
  
• One of my preschoolers loves to greet other kids and make them feel welcome as they come into class. She also is one of the first to check on anyone who is hurt. I think she has learned the wisdom of empathy.
  
• Praise the kids in your life when you see them making wise choices. Let them know you noticed.
  
• Wisdom can be learned through reading. Read books that tell of both failure and success. Ask your kids how the people in the stories either showed wisdom or didn’t show wisdom. What could the people in the stories have done differently? How could they use more wisdom? What consequences or rewards did the main characters encounter?
  
• Let your kids know the it is okay to mess up sometimes. When you mess up, do what you can to clean up the mess. Apologize, grab a towel to mop up the mess or start again. Learn from your mess ups, whatever they might be. By the way, the sooner you realize you’ve messed up and work to remedy or clean-up the situation, the better. The longer the mess is allowed to harden or left to become moldy or fester just makes it harder to clean-up.
  
• An easy definition for wisdom is to find out what you should do and do it. Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know, because there is no such thing as a dumb question.
  
• Teach your kids to pray when they don’t know what to do. God wants to give us wisdom – He will help.

Kid’s Section – Things To Do With Preschoolers

SHARE A STORY: God Talks To Solomon – 1 Kings 9

After King Solomon finished the temple church and His palace, God came to talk to Him again. God came to talk to Solomon because He wanted Him to continue to be wise and make wise decisions. King Solomon was a very wise king, but even very wise, smart people can make some bad choices when they forget to listen to God. (Solomon did make some bad choices later in his life, but that’s a story for a different day.)

God told King Solomon, “I have heard  you pray (Fold hands as though praying.) to me and I have heard you ask me to help you. You built a beautiful temple (church) for me, but you must walk (Stand up and walk in place with your child.) with me just like your father, King David did. Your heart must be honest. (Place hands on heart.) Do everything I command you to do. Obey my rules. Then I will set up your royal throne forever just like I promised. But if you or your children don’t obey me, (Shake head.) then the temple (church) will become just a pile of stones.”

God promised King Solomon good things if he continued to listen (Put hands by ears.) and obey Him. But if King Solomon and the people didn’t listen and obey God, then the beautiful temple church would be ruined and the people would have to leave their land. God was saying that there would be consequences or a time out if King Solomon and the people didn’t listen to Him. (Our actions do have consequences.)

God wants you to listen (Put hands by ears.) and obey Him too. When you listen to what God says in His special book and love God with all your heart, He will help you. Listening (Put hands by ears.) and obeying God are wise things to do. Let’s remember to listen and do what God says. What God says is way better than tons of gold and silver or anything else you could ever want! God says that we should listen to mom and dad too. When we listen and obey, we are making a very wise choice. God made you and gave you good rules to follow because He loves you and knows what’s best for you.

PRAYER:
Dear God,
I want to make good choices. Help me to listen and do what you say in the Bible Help me to love and follow you with all my heart. Thank you for loving me and giving me good rules. I want to listen to mom and dad too. Amen

MEMORIZE: Prov. 8:10 NIrV – (Hold hands open like holding a book.)
(God says – implied) – (Point upwards.)
Choose my teaching –   (Clap hands.)
Instead of silver –  (Rub fingers together.)

KNOW: God will help me when I obey Him. Listening is a wise choice. God will help me obey.
TALK ABOUT: Listening, Listening to God and wise people, What is wisdom?
ASK: Who made you? God made me.
AND DO: Listen & do what God says.

FUN IDEAS FOR THIS WEEK

• Hide some things around the house and have a Treasure Hunt to find the hidden objects. Give small hints that will help your child find the hidden treasure. God’s teachings are better than any other treasure. With a little creativity, this can even be done in the car. Think of some “treasures” to look for as you are driving. When your child has found all the “treasures” reward them with a hug or a favorite snack.
  
• Go outside to play and listen to the sounds around you everywhere. It’s amazing what you can hear when you really listen. If weather is inclement, listen to how many sounds you can hear inside. I like to set the timer for a minute and be super quiet with my kids, just listening. When the timer goes off, then we talk about what we heard. Was there a clock ticking? The fridge motor running? Water dripping? A car going by? Dog barking? Etc.