Nobody is born wise. Wisdom is absolutely, unequivocally, a choice. To gain wisdom, and to know truth, you must first choose to seek them. Fortunately, God made truth freely available to us, so we don’t have to wander through our decisions, living aimlessly and without purpose. However, freely available does not mean without effort. Truth must be learned and crafted. We learn truth in two ways: Through the Scriptures, via God’s commandments and the life of Jesus; and through wise counsel, emulating and imitating those older and wiser than us. Proverbs 19:20-21 lays this out quite simply.
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand”.
So many of us struggle with the humility and courage that it takes to learn from others. We have it made up in our minds that we have everything together, and if we don’t, we can surely figure it out on our own. This is most certainly not the case. Learning from others guides us to leading for others. When we accept sound advice on a circumstance, we are prepared to deal with not only our current situation, but others in the future. Truth has a rebounding effect, and that is the beauty in it. Truth is contagious in our lives, and when we begin to apply it in small areas, we are able to see it progress into big areas. One of the easiest ways to let truth take hold of your life is by learning from the successes and failures of those before you.
Ultimately, our main source of learning should come from the infallible Word of God. God explicitly shows us what truth is and how it positively affects our lives. Whether or not we hold fast to this truth is on us. Are you willing to learn from God, and are you willing to emulate the example that Jesus set on earth? God did us a great favor by giving us the life of Jesus as a way to see how a sinless life is lived. It was obviously not always easy for Jesus, but He was willing to submit to the knowledge of God and trust that He would be set on the right path. Learning from God takes faith, because it is not always easy or clear. However, God holds true to His promise that He is truth, and that truth will set us free.
It is okay to have to learn. There is no shame in not knowing, only in not trying to know. Learning from God and learning from others gives us a new lens on our own lives, and equips us to speak into the lives of more in the future. It is okay to be an echo before you become a voice. Push yourself to learn more this week. Find people who are older and wiser than you, and ask questions. Pray for revelation as your read your Scriptures. Show God that you want to learn truth, and He will give it to you.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”