The Practicality of Wisdom

Do you ever find yourself praying for something and wondering why in the world you’re praying for that thing? Or you continue praying for something because you already have an answer you see as less than ideal?

Recently, I made the decision to step away from serving in a particular area at my church. Honestly, this decision tore me up inside. I wrestled with it for months, constantly going back and forth, unsure what I should do. I didn’t want to let the team down, I didn’t want to let the church down and, more than anything else, I didn’t want to let myself down. I was dragging my feet, praying and praying about this decision, when I already knew what I needed to do: I needed to listen to wisdom.

As I’ve talked about before on here, I struggle to embrace my own limitations. I want to be the savior, who can solve every problem, and the one people rely on. Foolishly, I can come to think that it all depends on me and that, without me, everything will fall apart. More than that, I can end up believing the lie that my identity comes from the things I do, instead of who I am.

Wisdom was telling me to step back and take a break.
Wisdom was telling me that self-care is important.
Wisdom was telling me to press pause.

Foolishness was telling me to try and do it all.
Foolishness was telling me that I could sacrifice myself.
Foolishness was telling me to keep going.

The beauty of wisdom is that it always sounds like Jesus and always leads to truth. It’s never going to lead me to do things that will harm me or others but will always point me closer to Christ. And, this time, it was telling me to lay down my pride and take up a posture of humility instead.

Listening to and following wisdom is a courageous thing to do. It can be uncomfortable and even unpopular. But there’s a beauty in it that’s worth pursuing. Responding appropriately to wisdom was a huge leap of faith for me that required me letting go of control and choosing to pursue Christ instead. And I’m so glad that I did.

Is there any area in which you’re not listening to wisdom?

What’s one way you can practically respond to wisdom today?

To go Deeper: Read Proximity, It’s Time For a Change