I have spent a great deal of my senior years on a quest for finding various things. I recently read the quest for knowledge was horizontal, but the quest for wisdom is vertical. There is a vast difference between knowledge and wisdom. I dare say we all know someone full of "book learning" that does not seem to have the sense (wisdom) to get in out of the rain. (You know someone is from the south when they use countless idioms) GUILTY! I am full of trivia, and love to throw out those nuggets of knowledge in a conversation. It is amazing how many pieces of unneeded tidbits are stored in my limited storage space. One of my most cherished possessions is the wisdom God has granted me. Both of these quests have a cost. Wisdom sometimes comes at the high price of experience and we all know the hours of study needed to gain knowledge.
Many in my season of life are trying to find the answer to having a long and healthy life. Look at the advertising that is directed toward this age group and you will find the common theme of health, wealth, and vitality. We are a huge market for companies seeking to convince us they have the golden key to staying young. Somehow we think we can fool Mother Nature and she will pass us by in the aging process. Yes, perhaps there are ways to delay the inevitable, but we do not get out of this alive. Yet we are (ME TOO) looking for ways to maintain our quality of life at the highest point. Our physical bodies do not have a life expectancy of eternal. That does not deter us from the search.
One of the things I am earnestly seeking these days is peace. The world is far from peace today. If you are a student of history, you understand the ominous signs of the slippery slope we are on. All out war starts with one small conquest which escalates from there. Go back and read your WW II history and compare. It is difficult to keep peace in the small world I live in. I am working hard at eliminating those things which lead to drama and turmoil. It is an uphill battle. The closest I have come is by hiding in my cave which is not sustainable 24/7. So I keep searching for peace.
One thing which is not difficult to find and in fact we are innately capable of is fault finding. We seem to become more adept at this as we get older. We spend a great deal of time looking around us and finding fault, but very little time looking within for our own fault. Fault finding and blame shifting are first cousins. They both produce the same results---keeping the spotlight off of us. I call it diversionary tactics. We hope to fly under the radar and keep our faults unnoticed. Good luck with that! Fault finding is also contagious. We are only drawing attention to our own faults when we begin to judge others and point out their faults. Putting someone on the hot seat of fault will always lead to the finger pointing right back at us.
As we think these over, we see the only answer is God. God grants wisdom which is preferable over knowledge. If we seek God and listen for His voice, He will keep us spiritually healthy. He has promised eternal life by one simple step which is free for all. There is peace to be found in that one simple step--a peace that surpasses all understanding. Proverbs tells us to keep quiet and have the good sense to not find fault. Jude warns us about being a grumbler and faultfinder. We are not to judge unless we want to be judged. As always--the answer--the perfect answer is Jesus. Our quests should always begin with Jesus and all else will take a rightful place.
" Jesus said to him,
'I am the way,
and the truth,
and the life' "
John 14:6
