Drops of Sunshine - Daily Bread

 

 

 

There is an old adage that the only stupid questions are the ones we don't ask. It shows that the quest for knowledge and understanding often pays dividends. We should have that same quest for understanding when it comes to all things spiritual. In this case, there is only one teacher with an understanding that far exceeds our own.

You can pretend to be knowledgeable and can pass off having an understanding of something. But you can't really fake wisdom. When it comes knowing how to effectively apply God's word in our lives, we need his guidance. Only then can we be those well seasoned dishes.

 Some people get frustrated when kids, and even adults, repeatedly ask "why?" We're so fortunate that God does not experience the same frustration with us because there are many times where that is the only question we have. We have the assurance, however, that if we trust and rely confidently in him, he won't fail us.

Embracing the truth of God's word opens up the door for us to tap into his wisdom. Gaining knowledge is easy, but knowing what to do with it is another level. That is where we need to find ourselves during this spiritual journey. Desiring a deeper level to our relationship with God and our understanding of his word.

I used to be a huge roller coaster fan. So much so that I couldn't thoroughly enjoy a theme park without taking a turn on every roller coast at least once. As I got older, and wiser, I began to recognize that some of the risk factors outweighed the entertainment aspect. We have a similar awakening with our faith and God alone is capable of giving us the instruction we need to truly understand his desire for our lives.

 Famed former pro-hockey player Wayne Gretzky is quoted as saying, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." I think about this in terms in gaps in my understanding. We have a tendency to say that if we don't ask the question, we won't know the answer. Jesus' words also reveal that there is nothing God wants to hide from his children. So godly wisdom is ready and waiting. All we have to do is ask. 

I remember the carefree days of youth where questions were never to be feared. The older I got, the more experiences I had with people, self included, who were afraid of the answers we'd get. So afraid, that we didn't even both asking the question. God shows us the importance of tapping into him with a "no wrong questions" mindset. Whatever I need, my first step is to seek Him.

Our bodies do a pretty good job of telling us what is not good for us. If pork products have a negative impact on your blood pressure, then you make wiser choices, right? Or at least you should. We should apply that same wisdom to spiritual food and pay close attention to what God is telling us. I don't want to whet my appetite with a little of this and a little of that. Instead, I want to be well nourished which means I need to make wiser choices about what I feed my spirit.

When we are faced with uncertainties, we often seek after those with wisdom. Someone who lived our experience or someone we know wants the best for us. God desires the good for us. Whenever we find ourselves faced with difficulty or situations we may not understand, we can ask him for direction. 

 In the television show Star Trek, Spock was quick to note if anything defied logic. To our human mind, faith falls into the category of the illogical. Yet, for generations, God continues to prove that when we are faced with things that seem illogical or even impossible, it's his wisdom and clarity we should desire in those moments.

We can take comfort in God's omniscience. Rather than pour all our resources into trying to figure things out, embrace the truth that God already has the solution. Instead, we can trust his vision and his purpose and ask him to direct our path.

 I had a coworker tell me last week that she loved correcting people that were loudly and proudly wrong. She was mainly referring to customers that were convinced they understood our job's policies better than we did. One thing that I've learned during this faith walk is to understand that nothing is impossible when God is in it. Rather than hold to my own thinking and convince myself, and possibly others, with my little bit of knowledge, it's far better to appeal to God to think more like him.