The Proverbs Series: Wisdom's Frustration
Walking the Wise Path to the Good Life
Dear #DailyFollower,
Introduction
I hope you’re having a restful Saturday and taking more time to reflect on our seven-day exploration of Proverbs.
It’s Day 8, and we’re still in Proverbs 1! Today, we continue to listen to Lady Wisdom share her thoughts with us.
Since meeting Lady Wisdom, we’ve heard her cry and share her hopes (check out Days #5 to #7 here to read about Wisdom’s Cry and Hope), and now we hear some of her frustration.
You're welcome if you're reading a #DailyFollower letter for the first time today. We’ve been exploring the book of Proverbs, and in the first 7 days of February, we focused on the first 23 verses in Proverbs 1. Check out the first seven letters here.
Let’s dive in to see why Lady Wisdom sounds frustrated.
The Text
Proverbs 1:24-25, EXB
24 I called, but you ·refused to listen [rejected me]; I held out my hand, but you paid no attention.
25 You ·did not follow [ignored] my advice and did not ·listen when I corrected [want me to correct] you.
Some Thoughts
How do you feel when your attempts to get someone’s attention continually get rejected? I’m sure you’ll feel frustrated on some level. As such, you can relate to Lady Wisdom’s frustration since her cry has gone unheard and her hope dashed many times over.
As a parent of a young daughter, I feel hurt whenever my darling daughter ignores my advice or doesn’t listen when I correct her. In each of these moments, I think about what it was like for my parents when I was growing up. We all feel frustrated when our good intentions aren’t graciously received.
It’s tough to see someone we love doing something we know will harm them, yet seeing them go on to do this harmful thing, ignoring our advice and corrections. It’s worse when you have to watch the adverse outcomes you know will follow happen, and you’re helpless in changing the inevitable. It’s how Lady Wisdom feels most of the time, hence her frustration.
One Thought To Ponder
What is my posture to advice or correction, especially where they highlight my apparent weaknesses?
We grow when we listen to wise counsel and pay attention to the guidance we receive from people who have already walked the paths we intend to walk.
We must be careful not to take postures that frustrate those who can help us find the wise paths that lead to the good life we seek.
Conclusion
From the little we’ve come to learn about Lady Wisdom, we know that she has insights that we lack, and she’s eager to share this with us, as long as we will not frustrate her efforts to guide us on paths that take us to the good life.
It is essential to check our interactions to ensure that we’re not:
Rejecting the calls from Lady Wisdom to walk wise paths,
Refusing to hold her hand as she seeks to guide us through life,
Ignoring the wise counsels of Lady Wisdom, and
Rejecting the corrections that she wants to make in our lives.
As daily followers, our interactions with Lady Wisdom must bring joy to her, not frustration.
Tomorrow, we’ll see what I love to call the human side of Lady Wisdom. I say ‘human side‘ because I believe the nature and character of Lady Wisdom to be divine, so whenever I read our text for tomorrow, I feel like I can relate to that.
I look forward to seeing you here again tomorrow!
Yours faithfully,
John, a #DailyFollower.
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