Category Archives: Wisdom

God loves all things that are

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“Zacchaeus’ tree” (sycamore fig tree), Jericho, Palestine, 2012
via Wikimedia Commons

For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
Wisdom 11:24-25

When I judge others negatively, I am in effect criticizing God’s wisdom, God’s creation, God’s heart of compassion.

Today I will ask God to open my mind and heart to know and love the members of this vast human family with God’s own mind and heart.

A kingdom of vulnerability

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The wheel of wisdom, 19th C
Wellcome Library, London.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23

When I suddenly went from having $13 in my savings account to having a lot more, I noticed I no longer felt ashamed at the bank, but stood straighter, looked the tellers in the eye, and felt more self-confident and self-reliant. This change made me wonder: Had I made money my god?

The kingdom of God is a place of vulnerability, not self-reliance. It is a place where I put my trust in the goodness of God, where I surrender my life and will to God’s gentle, compassionate care, and where I draw courage and confidence from God’s all-wise strength. The kingdom of God is where I find God’s kindness and love in the people I meet, where I offer help to those in need when I am able, and where I am not ashamed to ask for help when I am in need.

Seek Wisdom

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One who watches for [Wisdom] at dawn will not be disappointed, for she will be found sitting at the gate. Wisdom 6:14

In our awareness, we will find the Wisdom of God’s love, compassion, forgiveness, and peace sitting at the gate of our heart.

Today I will open my heart to Wisdom, to seek and find the Truth of God’s loving presence in every breath.

“Those who are just must be kind” – Wisdom 12:19

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John Everett Millais (1829-1896)
The Parable of the Leaven, 1864
Wood engraving; proof on India paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art

You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity. Psalm 86:15

May I be slow to anger and gracious about listening to the grief and pain others are suffering.

May I be faithful to the teachings of the Lord to love my neighbor and do good to those who hurt me.

May mercy, kindness, and compassion be the yeast that leavens my interactions with each person I encounter.

The Spirit of Wisdom

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Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947)
Sofia (Wisdom), 1932

God is in charge of the possible and the impossible. God’s Spirit guides me where I need to go, shows me what I need to do, gives me the strength to help out where I am needed, and blesses me with the humility to love my neighbor and forgive my enemies.

[The disciples] were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Mark 10:26-27

Wisdom’s Way

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I perceive the resplendence of wisdom when I stay aware of and act on opportunities to love my neighbor, forgive those who have hurt me, take responsibility for my words and actions, give food to the hungry, visit the sick and lonely, seek peaceful resolutions to conflict.

I find wisdom in my own loneliness, in my realization of my need for God’s guidance, comfort, and boundless love as I continue to make mistakes on the Way to perfection.

Resplendent and unfading is wisdom,
and she is readily perceived by those who love her,
and found by those who seek her. Wisdom 6:12

In God’s care

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James Tissot (1836-1902)
Le semeur
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum

All people, including me, no matter what’s going on in the world, are in the tender, compassionate, comforting care of God.

Today I thank God for taking care of me.

There is no god besides you who have the care of all. Wisdom 12:13

 

Seek to see

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"Zacchaeus' tree" (sycamore fig tree), Jericho, Palestine, 2012 via Wikimedia Commons

“Zacchaeus’ tree” (sycamore fig tree), Jericho, Palestine, 2012
via Wikimedia Commons

Today I have a short list of people I want to pray for, people who have hurt me in some way and against whom I am holding a grudge. Resentment is a form of bondage and I wish to live in freedom.

Lord, teach me to forgive others as you forgive me for being less than perfect. Help me to see all members of the human family with your eyes. Show me your way of mercy.

But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;
and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent.
For you love all things that are
and loathe nothing that you have made;
for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
Wisdom (11:23-24)