The other day, I reached for something in the dishwasher, barely touched the blade of our Ninja food processor, and then ran for a band aid to staunch the blood flowing down my finger. Note to self: don’t touch the Ninja blade.
That’s called a lesson. I learned something by experience.
Years ago, a friend of mine landed in the hospital, deathly ill. He had eaten poorly for years, consuming vast quantities of soda pop instead of water. His lifestyle had messed up his kidneys, along with his overall general health. Note to self: eat well and hydrate properly.
That’s called a testimony. I learned something by someone else’s experience.
One lifetime isn’t long enough to learn every lesson the hard way.
We need to learn as much as we can from the experiences of others, whether they are friends or family, someone we hear about in the news, or even folks from the past.
One key to wisdom is understanding there are consequences for certain behaviors. A consequence that has already been suffered by someone else is one we can avoid. Ergo, the testimony of others is invaluable.
But there’s an even better way to learn – a way that transcends both personal lessons and the testimonies of others. It goes much deeper than just processing information.
The deepest kind of wisdom comes by revelation, the root word of which is “reveal.”
While learning lessons is largely geared to mental comprehension, revelation is a matter of Someone else opening up our understanding and revealing mysteries.
Wisdom that comes from God is organic and holistic. It’s not just head knowledge. The comprehension of truth must include a response to that truth. That’s called obedience. If we disobey, that’s stupid. If we obey, that’s wise.
Years ago, I was opening a new checking account at my local bank. The lady helping me was rather slow and inefficient, and had a lozenge into her mouth that made it hard to understand her. I grew more irritated by the minute. When I finally finished the process and left the bank, huffing, I heard a still, small Voice say,
Why don’t you just have mercy on her?
I was stopped short. My Teacher had revealed to me the sin of impatience, lack of mercy, and self-centeredness.
Another time, I was deep between the covers of a nutritional book, seeking an answer to a health complaint. I was stressed and lacked peace. The same Voice said,
What are you doing?
God never asks questions because He needs answers. His rhetorical question revealed my sin of worry and failure to trust Him.
Do you want to become wise in a deeper way than just by “learning lessons?” All it takes is obedience.