Flirting With Wisdom

 

The wise man benefits by learning from his mistakes, while a fool only gains heartache from his. 

Just the other day I celebrated my forty-seventh birthday and it got me to thinking about the phrase, “with age comes wisdom”.  Somehow as I grow older, I don’t feel overly discerning, however, I believe wisdom can be achieved if we pursue it.  As far as I’m concerned, life experience is always the best teacher.

 

If the truth be told, most of us have been flirting with wisdom most of our lives.  This kind of flirting is very much like the type most of us did growing up.  You know the kind, when you would see a cute guy or girl during your high school days and you would smile or wave at them.  However, out of nervousness, you never pursued a relationship with them. 

Consequently, I thought it might prove helpful to find words that define the fool and the wise.  This way it helps us avoid playing the fool and at the same time encourages us to pursue what is right. 

The fool is often characterized by two words: careless and wasteful

Fools tend to be careless with their words, actions and often how they live.  They could care less and this attitude directly corresponds with their actions leading them to be self-absorbed.  Fools also tend to be wasteful when it comes to relationships and how they treat and also hurt others.  Laying waste to many relationships in their wake.  The fool is shortsighted and pays for it with a life that is not eternally significant.

The wise man is often characterized by two words: faithful and useful

A truly wise person is someone who is characterized as being someone who is faithful. This is a dangerous person because he or she is taking their directions from God.  He could care less what the world thinks of him or how he is perceived. He trusts God day-by-day to lead him by His Spirit.  A wise person is also someone who strives to be useful to God and to others, so he doesn’t waste a lot of time thinking about himself.  Strange to me that as I get older, I learn there is something useful I can take out of every day if I look deep enough.

The following is a paraphrased response a professional basketball coach recently spoke to the media regarding what his 0-10 team had to do to get better.  If we don’t waste days and we put in the work, we can turn this thing around.   How true.  If we don’t waste days as we desperately pursue wisdom, there is always hope. 

Better to be partnered with wisdom and have a significant life, than to be flirting with wisdom all your life and have nothing to show for it.

 

Swavel