From Wisdom to Love - Day 189 Month 7-7 Week 27-7
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
1 Samuel 8:1-9:14, Proverbs 3:27-4:9, Lamentations 2:11-22, Acts 20:1-16
From Wisdom to Love
Yesterday was a sweltering hot and humid day here in our part of Canada. As always, I like to get things done. Behind our house we have a beautiful trail that follows a winding creek. We are continually improving it to make it easier to walk, and we have used old pallets to create a small boardwalk in some areas. Yesterday we decided to move one of the pallets because it wasn't quite level and made that section harder to navigate. As we started moving rocks around, the heat and humidity really began to affect us. Sylvia wisely suggested we take a break and head back to the house, but I wanted to do just a little more. After another few minutes, I wisely gave in, and we walked back. We were both completely spent.
Looking back, it reminded me that wisdom often shows itself in ordinary moments. Sometimes wisdom is simply recognizing our limits. Other times it means listening when someone else sees what we don't.
We are told in Proverbs 4 to acquire wisdom and understanding:
"The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7)
The more we acquire wisdom, the greater our understanding becomes.
At the hardware store, we occasionally have people call in who are angry. Often they don't like a price they've been charged, a delivery has gone wrong, or they believe they were promised one thing and received another. On a couple of occasions I have seen customers escorted out of the store and told not to return. One time a contractor called me, yelling and swearing. One of my more experienced coworkers, who overheard the conversation, motioned for me to hang up the phone, and I did. When the contractor later came into the store, he was warned that if it happened again, he would no longer be welcome.
Those situations make me sad. Not because I can't handle angry people, but because I realize they were not born that way. The customer who was escorted out eventually returned and was welcomed back. The contractor still shops in the store today. Whenever I see them, I can't help but wonder what hardships they have experienced that shaped them into who they are.
When we look at people through the eyes of God's wisdom, we begin to understand them differently. I tend to be much kinder to people now than I was years ago. When I worked in the hardware and lumber industry back in the early 1980s, I saw it as simply a job. I greeted customers with a polite half smile, but I didn't really love people. Customers were necessary because they kept the store running, not because I genuinely cared about them.
That is a huge contrast to today. Over time, God has been teaching me wisdom, and that wisdom has changed the way I see people. Instead of asking, "Why are they acting this way?" I find myself asking, "What has this person been through?"
A few weeks ago Sylvia was talking with someone and mentioned that I work at the hardware store. The woman smiled and said, "Oh, he's the nice one." When Sylvia told me about that conversation, it meant a lot to me. Not because someone called me nice, but because I could see how God has slowly changed my heart over the years.
I think that's one of the unexpected results of acquiring wisdom. Wisdom gives us understanding, and understanding produces compassion. The more we understand people, the easier it becomes to love them.
Maybe that's one of the best ways to love our neighbour: keep growing in wisdom.
Have a great day!
Steve
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