On the Way to Wonder

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6)” But! There always seems to be a “but,” a conditional clause that qualifies the promise or perhaps clarifies the promise, in this case the gift of wisdom. Wisdom and Belief are twin sisters. We cannot have one without the other. Wait, I had twins, twin boys. They were not alike. I thought one was more adventuresome like Esau in the Bible and the other was more like Jacob, the twin, who was quieter and gentler. If I disciplined Esau, he hit Jacob. Our ability to absorb wisdom is dependent on our ability to believe the source of wisdom. I find myself listening to all the pie-in-the-sky political promises these days and realize I am not a believer. So perhaps a question for us today is, What helps us believe? There are multiple answers: I have seen it work in others lives, I have read about it from a reliable source, I am afraid of the consequences of not obeying, or….fill in your response. The testimony of friends, the stories in the Bible, and the consequences drive me to open my heart and mind.
It is also true that when we waffle among experts, for example all the medical experts giving perspectives on how to deal with Corona today, we are like waves tossed in the ocean. Some people wear masks, some don’t. We can gather at stores but not at churches. How long does the virus live in the air, on a surface, under what temperatures? My mind is boggled and I feel like a wave tossed by the wind. Because of doubt I take ownership and wisdom rests in me.
Solid dos and don’ts are more definitive but arouse a stubborn streak in me. The ten-commandments have generated how many qualifying explanatory sub-commandments that feel restrictive and again obedience seems to rest in my will. It is true, wisdom is only accessed through her twin sister, belief. It is only as I believe that I step into a situation, trust the source ie God, and grow in wisdom. I do not know where you are being challenged to find wisdom today – political choices? Medical choices? Moral choices? Financial choices? Self proclaimed experts will seek to guide us but this verse reminds me that the ultimate trustworthy and truthful guide is God but I must believe and not doubt as he speaks into my life today. Blessings as you seek to listen!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2020 at 5:02 am and is filed under Spiritual Vitamins. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.