Wisdom

One of the few benefits I have found that has come with age is awareness of a single piece of experiential heart knowledge.  Wisdom is found throughout God’s creation.  Every element, no matter how alive or not, powerful or not, even school or not, can teach us.  One should never assume that he or she knows everything there is to know in a given situation.  Insight can come from any and everywhere!  If I want to experience everything possible in life, I need to be listening and learning.  If I want to see God more clearly, I need to be listening and learning.  If I want to grow, to be more than I am, I need to be listening and learning.  If I want to communicate…I must dialogue, listening with the intent of learning.
For far too long, I have looked exclusively to the powerful, educated, and those in position of respect.  While there were certain helpful insights, I found I was missing something.  This was a God thirst within my soul that was not satisfied.  I knew there was more!  I now look for those seeking God.  When there is a serious quest underway in his or her life, they have something to share!  Struggles, process, and enlightenment reside within every serious journey.  When one gets into the ordinary, one opens up the opportunity to hear God’s voice.
The criteria I find most helpful are echoed in an old observation.  “Israel's watchmen are blind, the whole lot of them.  They have no idea what's going on.  They're dogs without sense enough to bark, lazy dogs, dreaming in the sun—but hungry dogs, they do know how to eat, voracious dogs, with never enough.  And these are Israel's shepherds!  They know nothing, understand nothing.  They all look after themselves, grabbing whatever's not nailed down.”  (Isaiah 56.10, 11)  I can learn from anyone serious thirsting for God.
The day is dawning in ways I did not anticipate.  What happens next is up to me.  God is present in the ordinary ways of life with those willing to engage.