I have done a lot of dumb things in my life.  Sure I was young and didn’t know anything but completely sure that I knew everything.  It was probably the dumbest thing I ever did. My parents made a deal with me to help me buy a truck or to help me with college.  Well, when I went into college, I had lots of scholarships. But no one ever told me when I went to college to play football, I was still required to go to class 🙂  That could be a follow-up post on the 2nd dumbest thing I ever did. Suffice it to say that I lost my scholarships, but because of having them at the start, I asked my parents to help me with buying a truck.  The deal was that they would help me until I graduated. They brought me a beautiful truck. I was so proud. I loved that truck. But when I graduated, there was still a payment. I was stressed about trying to make the payment and support my wife on a teacher’s salary.  So, I took a trip to the dealership.

Long story short, without talking to my wife or anyone, I traded in that truck.  I should probably tell you that even though there was a payment remaining, it would have been paid off in only 6 months.  But I traded it in. Not only did I trade it in, but I traded for a Suzuki Swift. If you haven’t heard of it, it is because it no longer exists.  But a Swift made Smart Cars look like a Cadillac Sedan. There were only three cylinders. It was a lawnmower engine with a steering wheel. If I went in a straight line with no curves or turns for more than 3 miles, it would peak out at 62 miles per hour.  And I will never forget what the salesman asked me, “Now, this car doesn’t have AC. That’s not very important to you, is it?” Lord, have mercy.

I went from 6 months of payments to 5 years of payments.  And for those 6 months, I only saved about $80 bucks. I would drive through the city of Waco, 100-degree weather, stuck in traffic, wearing a shirt and tie….WITH NO AC!!!!!!!  If only I would have asked for some wisdom. And that brings us to our Verse of the Day:

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

(NIV)

James asks, “If…”  If…why would he ask if….don’t we all need wisdom?  Haven’t we all done really dumb things? Even as I am writing, my own brain is challenging the Suzuki episode saying, “That’s not the dumbest thing you have done.  I can give you ten more right now.” Yes, occasionally I have conversations with my own brain.  

God is wisdom and He is always available to us.  One of the things we have to get our head around is that God is all we need and more, but we must seek Him.  God is the wisdom we need for good decisions in every moment, but I have to seek Him and His wisdom. All the wisdom I need is right here for me, yet it is not readily available.  We tend to think that since we have God and He is always right there for us, then His wisdom is already at work within us, but that may not be true. We must seek after it.

The wisdom that comes from God, which is the only wisdom, comes from an understanding of Biblical principles.  To understand these, we need the help of the Holy Spirit to remove the blinders caused by the sinful nature. Wisdom then is found in the Word of God, taught by the Holy Spirit.  He gives us the ability to understand the Scriptures. But by its very nature, the Word of God must be taught. This keeps us connected to the Body of Christ. We need to also seek out those who are more spiritually mature than we to gain their advice.  Finally, the Scripture teaches us to be as wise as a serpent though as innocent as a dove (Matthew 10:16). This means that we also need to be wise understanding of how the world works as well. If you want to start a business, consult with the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, godly men, but find others in that field who have succeeded and draw from their knowledge as well.

Understanding all of this, the enemy to wisdom is pride.  It is thinking that we know what is best and not asking anyone.  If only I would have talked to my wife, to my parents, to a friend, really anyone on Earth would have known that was a bad mistake.  Nevertheless, I drove off that lot on a lawnmower with two doors and a steering wheel.