The Art of Wisdom

Some of life’s regrets become our greatest source of wisdom. Learn the lesson. Apply the solution. Teach the wisdom.

March’s Awakening, Day 18

Abundance of knowledge does not teach a man to be wise.

 —Heraclitus 

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living and the other helps you make a life.

 —Sandra Carey 

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

 —William James 

Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.” Proverbs 4:5–9 NIV  

            Wouldn’t it be nice if we had godly wisdom from a very young age and used that wisdom in all our decision making? I’m sure it would prevent much regret and ease the difficult consequences that we’ve had to endure. But then again, we do learn much from our mistakes and sometimes, those lessons stay with us best. However, it is also good to remember that some things we just will never know at the time, and so choices, even based on the best knowledge and wisdom, will sometimes simply turn out unexpectedly. Only God knows the future. For the present, in our reality, we must simply use everything at our disposal in the way of both knowledge and wisdom and always add a hefty dose of prayer to seek the appropriate direction from God. When the decision is made, regardless of how it turns out, we can at least say we did our absolute best and sought the best of counsel all along the way.