Wisdom

A couple weeks ago we had a guest speaker at church. He was funny and really easy to listen to, but I don't remember all the details of his message now. I know it involved a hula hoop and a pair of cleats (to remind us to "strap" on the Parakletos - ha!). What struck me the most, though, was this verse from James 1:5

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

I've heard that verse many times before, but it stopped me in my tracks this time. As a parent, of all the things I should be asking God for, it's wisdom!!! How many times in just one day do I make choices that will affect who my children become, what their outlook on the world will be, or how they will determine their self worth? Those are some pretty serious issues!!! I worry about these things all the time. I worry about how our children will "turn out", but how often have I asked for wisdom? Well, not nearly enough! This verse should be the closing to each day and the opening of every morning! God, please give me wisdom to teach Tyler and Danielle, give me wisdom to handle situations in Godly ways, give me wisdom to do what's right and make the right choices, give me the wisdom to know when to be firm or when to bestow grace, when to overlook or when to address, wisdom to know how to discipline in love.
God... just give me wisdom!

I like the rest of that verse, too. God promises that when we ask for wisdom, He will give it to us. And not just a little bit and not while making us feel incompetent - He will give wisdom generously and without finding fault! What a relief to me because a small little helping of wisdom isn't going to get me very far. Most of you know my children - I need a generous, heaping portion of wisdom! And most of you know me. I love my kids and I mean well, but I have a lot of imperfections and most of the time I am far from wise. I need a generous portion of wisdom. And I believe that God will give it to me if I ask Him for it.

The other night as I was falling asleep I suddenly remembered I hadn't specifically prayed for wisdom. I prayed and went back to bed. The very next day a situation arose in which God granted me His wisdom. At the time, I didn't even realize I needed it or that He was giving it to me. Later that night when the house was quiet and I was replaying my day, I saw very clearly how much differently I responded than I normally would have. God gave wisdom.

I found out the following day that I had been presented with incorrect information. God's generous helping of wisdom the previous day had prevented me from over-reacting then, which meant that I didn't have to backtrack and apologize or attempt to smooth over hurt feelings, which gets harder each time. As promised, God gave wisdom, and He gave it generously.