Kelly - Proverbs 8

v. 12 "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I posess knowledge and discretion."

Wisdom is hard to define. Which explains why the Bible takes an entire book to work it out. And some of the places in my life where I feel I have the best grip on wisdom are also the places where I have felt the most pain. Knowing that, the pursuit of wisdom is difficult. Would I change the deep understandings I have of the ways people abuse power? No. Would I change the wisdom I have gained about the power of the Spirit to renew? No. Would I give back the gifs God has given me in seeing and understanding the Spirit at work in the lives of so many around me? No. But each of these realizations has been hard-won. They are the gifts of God that I received to carry me through pain. So do I pursue wisdom? I deeply want more - but have learned that the cost is high.

And v. 12 gives me another puzzle to work out. Wisdom is tied with prudence and discretion. What about enthusiasm? What about the Joy of the Lord? It is so easy to the vitality and excitement of the youth and know that it often comes with Naivete. And my stereotype of Wisdom is an old man on the mountaintop. How do we work Godly Wisdom and Godly Energy into the same image? The words "prudence" and "discretion" don't help me much. Wisdom is "the first of God's works" (v. 22). And God with power and energy Created. Understanding the relationship between these two is going to take some work in my life.