“Do not forsake wisdom and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.”—Proverbs 4:6, NIV
Do you care so deeply about something that it dominates your thoughts?
Do you lay awake wondering how to make this dream happen? A new business or creative venture, a desire to be a better parent or spouse, to right a social injustice, teach children, take care of the sick … the list is as endless as the number of people alive. History proves that these passions of the heart can be used constructively—or destructively.
We need wisdom to guide our passions and then to mature our passions into action.
Our English word “wisdom” is translated in Hebrew as chakam, which means “skilled.”
Author Ron Jenson says, “To be wise is to be a craftsman at living, an artisan of life.”1
An “artisan of life” sounds satisfying and accomplished, doesn’t it?
Before a craftsman can put his skill to use or an accomplished artist breathes life into her talents, each must be ignited to action by a passion, then find the wisdom to see those skills and gifts brought to fruition.
Wisdom is not just an acquired accumulation of knowledge and wise sayings. It is a deeper, more substantial attribute.
Wisdom and passion work together to enhance each other’s best qualities.
Wisdom is a paradox. Readily available but not easy to gain, it is both a gift and learning process; something you can pray for (James 1:5) yet neglect to use. Something you can study but fail to practice. As the subject of sacred and secular books, and the goal of countless individuals, corporations, and governments, wisdom has been personified, exalted, sought after, and analyzed.
It is simplicity itself, yet profoundly mystical. It flows from the mouths of babes yet it takes a lifetime to realize.
Solomon, the author of the Proverbs, taught that wisdom is waiting, imploring, pleading, even enticing us to come to her. So passionately does Solomon want us to understand how real and vital this wisdom is, that he likens wisdom to a woman’s love (Proverbs, chapters 8-9.)
Wisdom waits for us with open arms, longing for our hearts to receive her, to allow her to shape and guide our lives.
Our responsibility is to receive what God is offering us and to pray for teachable hearts, allowing our passions to reach their potential, governed by wisdom.
1. Jenson, Ron. Make a Life, Not Just a Living (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995).
