I wrote my 350th poem the other day. I was quite stunned at that number because I have been writing them for a relatively short time. They are expressions of my heart and soul so they come easy. According to the scriptural record, Solomon spoke or compiled 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs (see 1 Kings 4:32). I am so grateful he did that because his wisdom was a gift from God so the spiritual substance in them is something I value.
When I was doing my degree some years ago I was really excited to
take a subject on philosophy because I thought studying the ‘wisdom’ of the
ancient Greek philosophers would make me wise. After all, their words are
recognised and revered the world over. It was my worst subject. So much so that my
professor called me up and asked me if I had trouble understanding the course.
Frankly, I found the theories of the meaning of life by these
philosophers incomprehensible. They stood in stark contrast to the plain and
simple truth of the Plan of Salvation as per the LDS theology that I lived by. It
taught me something valuable. Never trust in the theories of the world. Now
when I hear something ‘meaningful’ I have to find it in the scriptures to
verify it before I believe it is true.
If you want wisdom, you will find it in the scriptures because
true wisdom must encompass knowledge, understanding and moral conduct. The
wisdom you follow must comply with your inner spiritual compass and religious
beliefs. It must produce a positive outcome, protect you from the negative and
be in alignment with the witness of the spirit. This to me is true wisdom. (see
also Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings – Malachi, p 13)
It is impossible to come away from the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes with
one major or common theme for they deal with application of wisdom in so many different
facets of life, as per Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which so aptly teaches ‘to
everything there is a season’. One can, however, always walk away from them
having found something of vast importance particular to them to correspond with
their 'time and season'. Wisdom is not wisdom if it lacks application and
application of all things cannot happen all at once. Progression is a journey
which requires patience and repentance when the heart is ready.
The greatest wisdom of Solomon is found in chapter 3 of Proverbs. The
advice it gives is invaluable: to have peace in this life means to know and
trust God, to keep His commandments, to hold onto His mercy and truth, and to
write it on the tables of one’s heart (vs 1-6).
God's wisdom would tell us that the sacrifice of the moment is
worth the blessings of eternity. Trusting in God means trusting in our eternal
destiny to which we were committed from the beginning. It means knowing who we
are and using wisdom to honour that spiritual identity. It means standing firm
in our convictions at all cost.
I knelt before Thy throne today
Asking for the words of wisdom
You had to say.
They fell with ease from Thy tongue
Coated gently with holy love.
My heart was opened
The heavens wept
Our union, a divine sacrament.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
No comments:
Post a Comment