Do you have regrets about wasted time and opportunities? I know I do. I can think of many occasions, I squandered my time on meaningless pursuits.
It reminds me of my husband’s friend John. His impressive IQ and excellent grades in elementary school qualified him to register in an exclusive private boarding school. His extroverted personality and gift for joke-telling soon made him the school clown. Before long, he was neglecting his studies and his grades started to fall. He failed his first attempt at university entrance exams. Later, he was finally accepted to college, but once again he started to skip classes and focused most of his time on his social life. He finally graduated, barely making a passing grade. Not surprisingly, John’s poor grades and minimal life skills kept him from finding a good job. Today, he lives with regret. “Why did I waste so much time,” he laments
Like John, I wonder how many times we’ve missed opportunities to enrich our lives.
Ephesians 5:15-17 says “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is“.
Every one of us has received a gift. And every day, God provides opportunities in the way of circumstances and relationships to equip us in using our gifts. A wise man prayed thus ”So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom” Psalm 901:12
Wisdom is the Principal Thing
Wisdom is reflected by skillfulness in living. Wisdom, which stems from God enables us to make the best of our place and roles in life. This wisdom is what injects meaning into the various life seasons we find ourselves in. It also equips us with insight as to how to maximize our great days and not so good days.
As parents, wisdom helps us realize the impact of our words, our work ethics and life of faith, in shaping our children’s destiny. Those become the foundation on which our kids would stand. As a student or employee, wisdom propels us to work diligently. (Proverbs 22:29).
· Reverence for God make us Wiser
“The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding”— (Prov 9:10).
When we obey God in seemingly little things, we build capacity to hear and obey Him in bigger issues. Each act of obedience is a building block to obey another time. When we disregard God’s gentle proddings, we numb ourselves the ability to hear God clearly. It’s like one who lifts a heavy-weights. As often as you lift, the better equipped you are to carry a heavier weight.
In scriptures, obedience is closely equated with wisdom. As we see in the story of the man who built his house on the rock (Matth.7: 24- 27), our obedience to God’s word secures our endeavours firmly on the rock. Each time we do the right thing, we deepen our roots to stand firm.
Consistent Obedience Results to Life full of Insights
I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the many areas I need to work on in my life. Over time though, I have come to realize that instead of going the panic route, I’d be better if I tackled one issue at a time starting from its trigger ( source) and locating the associated behavioural patterns. For instance, if we noticed that we accomplish very little each day, we may want to take a look at the activities we take on during the course of the day. Like John’s story above, how do our daily activities add value to our lives?
Locate habits that influence other habits.
Start with Habits that Influence other Habits. In his book, The Power of Habits, Charles Duhigg, describes Keystone habits as behavioural patterns that have the power to start a chain reaction. They are habits that trigger changes in other aspects of our lives. As Christians, I believe that our relationship with God determines our relationship with our spouses, our disposition towards our children, our attitude towards work and other people.
I noticed in my life for instance, that once I began to have a regular devotional time with God, the knowledge of the Word of God helped me make changes in my relationship with my husband, my children, work and other things. Like a thermostat, our relationship with God regulates other parts of our lives. I’d encourage us to look to see the root cause of any form of apathy in our lives. Then, study the word of God and meditate in those areas as well as other valuable resources. The Knowledge of God and His ways puts every other thing in perspective. It helps us number our days. (Proverbs 9:10)
What I am Learning
1. God’s wisdom helps us see beyond now and helps us do what we need to do.
2. A habit of prompt obedience builds up our wisdom muscles.
3. The more we obey in simple things, the easier it is to obey in more complicated matters. (Luke 16:10)
4. Our obedience to God determines how much pressure we’ll be able to bear up and this in turn, determines how far in life we’ll able to go.
5. The strength to change our apathetic ways grows as we study, meditate and pray in the area of challenge.
What things have you changed in the past? What impact did it make in your life?
