Wisdom, Trust, when stuff happens...

"Dear friend, pay attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it. Then you'll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble." Proverbs 5:1-2 (from the Message Translation of the Bible). Some say that "wise" refers to skills in living. If that's so it's no wonder there is so much chaos in some of our lives. Wisdom doesn't refer to what we know or having the right answers. It's about the right responses to persons and to God. Much of life is about response. Things happen and I respond, react, or recluse. To recluse is to hide from life; to react is to be caught off-guard; response is rooted in wisdom. Response engages life problems and issues with patience, trust , and certainty. Certainty isn't about the outcome, as in knowing how things will turn out It's really being certain of the God of the outcome. Wisdom, I think allows us to live a level of confidence not easily understood apart from God. Recently, my family almost moved to Anaheim to help our home church move into the future with this kind of certainty. It was a hard process to change our direction. I mean we were packed and ready to go. But, I realize now that as noble a thing as it may have been, it was not the thing we were meant to do. At least not now. There was a great deal in me that has come out through this process. I see that I had feelings of defeat, shame, and anger at God for the successes I have not had, but that I really want. It's not that I haven't tasted what I'm after, I just expect a whole lot more of it. ;) The trouble is that I wasn't admitting to myself or anyone else that I felt such feelings. Emotions have a way of guiding your way if you let them. But in the end the truth emerged that what has or has not happened was somehow part of the process of life and growth in the way of Jesus. I am being prepared to live well today AND tomorrow in wisdom. So, now my family is going through the difficut process of learning to respond with wisdom and certainty today. And it all begins with trust in my Creator to be God.