Seek Wisdom, Develop Good Judgment

Wisdom and good judgment are words you will run across frequently in the books of the Bible written by King Solomon. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are full of references to becoming wise, acquiring wisdom, developing good judgment, asking for wisdom...the list goes on and on. 

Most of the time, the Bible talks about asking God for wisdom. Obviously it is not something we are born with. We have to get it from someone else. 

Why then, do we so often think we can do things based on our own knowledge base? Why do we think we already know everything there is to know? Or worse, we think we know enough to make an informed decision on our own. That is probably the one that gets us in the most trouble. 

I am trying to stop more often - acknowledge that I may not have all of the information - and then ask those around me with more experience. 

Sometimes you have to stop, remove yourself from yourself and look at things from a completely different point of view. Sometimes you have to dissect a sentence or an emotional response to find out why it was offensive to you. And sometimes you just have to shut up. 

Yep, I said it. Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue. 

I have an incredibly hard time withholding information, mainly advice. Since I think I know everything already, I have a hard time not sharing all of it with other people. Sometimes is it the right time, and sometimes it is not. Usually I just end up with a women's size 10 in my mouth looking for a place I can spend a few minutes chewing on shoe leather.

So, lately I have been asking for wisdom, and swallowing the FACT that I don't know everything. I have been trying to develop good judgment - and sometimes the development process is a little painful, and comes with the side dish of humility.

What I mean to focus on here, is that life is about learning. Don't ever think you have arrived, cause you will arrive flat on your face. 

I think I will just stay down here for a while. The weather is really nice.