We Gain Wisdom Through Our Relationship With Jesus

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ (Psalm 90:12)

We are going through our yearly gauntlet of birthdays, from late April through early June, most of the family has birthdays to celebrate.  I start the season in April, and it goes through until my little granddaughter’s birthday in June.  In between is almost everyone else’s, including our two cats.  My spouse’s birthday and our two children, though, are December, January and March.  Our anniversary, and my ‘Army enlistment’ day are mid-January.  So, we have a somewhat early ‘mini-burst’ of special days, then the spate of birthdays before a six-month span of almost none.

Our children are in their thirties now, and me being in my sixties the birthdays are a bit more subdued, as no one wants to add a new year to the total.  However, each year adds that birthday whether you want it or not.  As I’ve stated, I often find myself thinking I do things as though I’m 25, and in the middle of acting on those thoughts I realize I am 62, and if I manage to get through the ordeal, I feel closer to 85.  In some consolation, I have gained enough wisdom that I’m able to say ‘I shouldn’t try this’ or ‘I need to call a professional’ (sometimes). 

Nevertheless, in some things involving home improvement, I remember doing an activity long ago, convince myself I can do it, and halfway through realize I shouldn’t have started it but now I have to finish it in order to salvage some respectability for myself.  When I finish (praise to the Lord for providing me His strength and stamina), I am usually very sore with muscles aching. 

Each year, though, I thank the Lord for those things He has wisely steered me away from and pray for Him to get me through those things that I think I can still do.  We should all at least do things that we do often, but if it hasn’t been done recently and involves contorting the body around (like working under a sink or installing a well pump) it may not be copacetic to attempt that and risk the pain of a back out of place or a pulled hamstring.

Beyond home improvement projects, the milestones in our lives should reflect in our thinking and beliefs something learned, or something gained in wisdom.  43 years of marriage, for example, has given me the wisdom of what buttons I should not push as my spouse may react in a negative reaction (that is not necessarily entertaining but quite terrifying).  Like marriage to our spouses, our marriage to Christ in Faith should reflect greater wisdom in the precepts of Christ as we extend our Faith over time.  We should learn the wisdom of prayer, of tithing, of sharing God’s Word to others.  We should know what it is to be a Christian with true Faith. 

We gain wisdom through a continued long-term relationship with Christ. It reflects what Paul sees in himself in 2 Timothy 4:6-7 (‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’).  The exception is that Paul wrote this knowing he was about to be executed, which is why it was written in past tense. 

We, not yet knowing our fate, should say this continually in the present tense; ‘I am fighting the good fight, I am still running the race and I am keeping the faith.’  Our milestones in Faith should speak to this.  I pray mine reflect that I am still fighting the good fight; that I’m at least waddling down the track (as running in my case may cause a condition to create the use of past tense in my eulogy), and am still demonstrating in the keeping of the Faith that I have with Christ.

Each year in any anniversary or birthday should speak to this, the Wisdom of God growing, the reflection of our Lord through our growing Faith.  We should also have a sense of urgency; we know as the number in our anniversaries increase, the number we have left to count decrease.  The statistics from the CDC have not changed; 100% of those living today will eventually die.  We each have a finite number of days and years with which to accomplish what the Lord will have us accomplish. 

This is in line with the ‘tape-measure’ the Pastor gave us a in an illustration years ago.  Even if you don’t cut off the number at the desired age of your demise (I’ve guessed 85 for mine, but that may be wishful thinking), the tape-measure is only a finite length that does have an ending. 

You and I have used up a certain amount of those inches or millimeters up to that number from the start of the tape.  That desired age may fall short or extend out, but my ‘tape’ will one day come to an end.  Wisdom tells me I need to be urgent on doing what the Lord wants me to accomplish before I hear the bugle call announcing me to my gate of departure to fly Home.  I pray that in all these years and milestones have not been in vain or futile but have accomplished something for the Kingdom.

Celebrate your anniversaries in any endeavor you persevere in, and make sure those anniversaries can showcase your accomplishments – not necessarily earthly accomplishments, but have produced the Fruit of the Spirit that others can see and use to grow their Faith!