I am a self-help junkie. I get a high from personal revelations and self-improvement. From unintentionally and innocently getting a revelation from a life-changing book or a helpful bible plan, my self-help tendencies have matured into rashly and hysterically reading 7-day bible plans in a day or seeking bulleted fast reads on issues I do not have the courage or patience to chew cud on. What was meant to be a prudent and worthwhile exercise of self-improvement has turned into chasing highs, seeking instant gratification and altogether missing the point. Over-watering
Over-watering a plant results in root rot and stunted growth. One-way of saving an over-watered plant is removing all the flowers and fruit because the rotting roots are not able to support the growth of its leaves, flowers and fruit. Self-help junkies over-water themselves. In their impatient hastiness of gleaning knowledge and acquiring wisdom, they can miss the point of acquiring and applying wisdom. In desiring, seeking and acquiring wisdom, we should keep in mind that wisdom is always for a greater goal. Greater goals require diligence, prudence and discipline. To expand on this further, I will focus on two verses from the book of Proverbs that comment on the love of wisdom, and warns us about hastiness. “If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it – how short-sighted to refuse correction” – Proverbs 12:1 MSG Wisdom is a good means to a good goal. We are to desire it and seek it. But here is a catch, if we love wisdom, we are to love the means to it. We are to tolerate and expect prods of the Sheppard. In our frustrations from uncertainties and unanswered questions, we are to have a patient and diligent disposition. I use the word disposition to emphasize that wisdom is a quality of the mind that feeds into the character. It is not only a mental capacity but also an attitudinal capacity to a goal. The diligence comes about from the understanding that wisdom is not merely collecting factual knowledge but it is also developing experiential insight and reaching resolves. Experiential insight requires experiences and situations, while resolves require careful consideration and time. “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry put you further behind” – Proverbs 21:5 MSG Self-help junkies can be deceived into thinking that self-improvement and acquiring wisdom is a book, blog-post, personality test, TED talk or a Google-click away. In this verse, the bible contrasts diligence with hastiness (and not necessarily sluggishness). The bible warns us of hastily rushing through work, because like undue procrastination, undue scurry slows us down. The NIV and KJV versions both refer to hurry and scurry leading to want or poverty. In the hysteria and the rash to get answers, we can end up without wisdom and therefore, without resolve. How do we acquire wisdom? The book of Proverbs presents a series of instructions and exhortations on how to obtain wisdom and discern its fruit. It would be worthwhile to study the whole book by extracting relevant verses that speak on wisdom and mulling over them. We get wisdom by:
However, wisdom is found not only in the word of God (or in factual knowledge), but also in the world. Wisdom is not only factual, but it is experiential, situational, attitudinal and resolute.
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Rea Zwane"I am just trying to live it up with a big God" Archives
April 2022
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