Wisdom at the Gate

Dear Sister,

I have a confession to make. I love to read. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping, I’ll sneak in some reading. I will slip away from the kids and my husband to read a few pages. I read in bed, while multitasking (not very well), on the computer, in the bathtub, outside, in the car. I read, read, read, read, read. Books, articles, dictionaries, reference works, all types of genre, on the Kindle, on the computer, in newspapers, and magazines; but my favorite mode of reading is snuggled a comfy chair with a good, well-worn paperback book and a steaming hot cup of tea.

I read for entertainment, new ideas, how-tos, and for insight. Besides my occasional inability to appropriately budget my reading time, the hunt for insight can get me into trouble. We do not have cable TV in our home. Early on in our marriage, we determined we did not want to have to pay for TV, nor did we want the distraction of all the TV channels pumped into our home. So, if we want to know about the current events of the day, we read (yes, we do have the internet). That is where the trouble begins. I can ask any number of questions (do I vaccinate, should I recycle, what about the situation in Ukraine, is evolution a verifiable fact, is the Bible truth?); but the real question is how do I discern the truth?

Our society leans heavily toward listening and following the polished, bombastic, handsome person delivering an answer (and to the answer most beneficial to self); more than it does toward discerning actual truth. Our pastor at Azorean Baptist Church in Portugal liked to say that as a society (this was an American-Portuguese community), if given a choice between hard work and flying pigs, the flying pigs would win every time. I also find myself suckered by gimmicks, and worried over inflammatory articles. Neither indicates a wise response.

During ancient biblical times, governing and economic business occurred in the gates of the cities—those who had wisdom in their fields of business were found in the gates, conducting business, governing the city, imparting wisdom. The Israelites could look to those who had experience for their counsel. Solomon himself says, “Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice? On top of the heights beside the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates, at the opening to the city, at the entrance of the doors, she cries out: ‘To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O naïve ones, understand prudence; and, O fools, understand wisdom.’” Proverbs 8:1-5.

We are not born with wisdom; we have to seek it out. But, while we may not be blessed with innate wisdom, we do have the ability to choose where we find our counsel. Dear sister, this is crucial! Look past appearances and around the easy answers you know you are naturally drawn to. Select marital guidance from someone who has a marriage that has gone the distance and works instead of from flippant lines on the newest witty sitcom. Find economic advice from those who have built and maintained successful, honest businesses that are a benefit to their families as well as to the community. Search out counsel about societal truths from those working in the depths of humanity and making an impact for good, not just from teachers (or politicians) who sit and pontificate their newest theories.

It is nigh impossible for me to get out from behind my computer and search for those truly making a difference; but I know in the long run, discovering wise counsel is a journey worth sacrificing for. “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:34-35.

Running with you,
Rebecca