Proverbs 16:16
In
our greed-filled society, the words of today’s proverb could not be more
appropriate. When was the last time you heard a commercial that encouraged you
to make the best out of what you already owned, to not buy the newest, but be
satisfied with what you have? I didn’t think so. We always want the newer,
bigger, shinier, more enticing products. The packaging is almost as important
as the product.
I
am sure you have heard the advertisements for gold and silver. They might be
valuable, but wisdom is even more valuable. Wisdom can’t be stolen! Insight can’t
be faked. Wisdom is a commodity that is in very short supply these days.
Because our society has such a ‘quick fix’ mentality, and wisdom takes time to
develop, few are patient enough to acquire it. And those that do have it
generally don’t have wealth falling out of their pockets.
Wisdom
does not have the glamour of a new car. It is quiet and unobtrusive. It is
there when asked for, but rarely pushes its way forward. That is because it is
often rejected until it is sought.
Wisdom
would say that we need to pay our current bills and not borrow from the future,
but not many people listening to this these days. Our grandchildren will be
paying for our foolishness!
We
listen far too much to the young and inexperienced. We give power to the one
who can speak well and convince the crowds. That is not wisdom. We need to make
room for and value those who have experience at doing what we want to do,
successful experience. New ideas are not necessarily wisdom. Often they are
just new ideas that lead to failure.