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Day 13
Those who walk with the wise grow wise. --Proverbs 13:20a The wise ones have gone before us. They'll come after us. They're around us now. And, it just may be that we may become the wise ones for others. Most of our relationships in life are with like-minded people. These people who walk the thoroughfare of life with us every day understand us and offer us hospitality of heart. They help us stave off loneliness, learn how to share, and make our lives sensible. But then we find ourselves unknowingly, and sometimes unwittingly, in the presence of a wise person - a person who has gathered up the fragments of life and re-woven them into a garment of strength and beauty. They seem always to 'stand out.' You just can't miss them. It's not because they are flashy and flamboyant. They stand out by their desire not to stand out. They quietly speak their heart - with or without words - and when we listen to the muted syllables of their soul, we feel we have touched the stars. They call us out and beyond ourselves and usher us in to another dimension - a dimension where life's tinsel becomes tasteless, where the everyday stresses seem amazingly unimportant, where possibility stands in the breach of numb routine and mundane meaninglessness. These mentors, midwives, guides are the people who help us become more fully human than we could ever have thought possible. We come to see that, if there is a goal in life, it surely can't be to garner money and possessions, prestige and status - for these will only fade away as our bodies take their leave of this earthly existence. If there is a goal in life, it must be to grow more and more in the wisdom of God by being with those who are wise, and then helping to awaken that dormant wisdom in others. Although we may find the questions of our own souls quieted when we are in the presence of wise ones, the greatest gift they can give us, if we are attentive, is to help us find and share our own wisdom. It's not so difficult, after all. It only requires asking God for wisdom, and being prepared to learn wisdom from those who have been open to its surge within their own lives. Then, like the lightest thundercloud on a mild spring day dropping its mist of drops to the water-less ground beneath, we can graciously and randomly lead others right into the wisdom of God, because we have been there ourselves. O God, prepare me to be taught. Prepare me to learn. Prepare me to share. These meditations by Renee Miller first appeared at explorefaith.org Please use the share button at the top to share with friends and loved ones. Thanks!
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