We’re working through Proverbs the fall, and the planning this summer has been really fun. Proverbs is a book that focuses on the everyday life. How do we proceed today? How can we build a life that is pleasing to God?
We’re focusing on seeking wisdom as a way to get closer to God. I’m excited for our community to commit to intentionally seeking wisdom together. There is value in the seeking, and life in what we find. There is an inherent humility implied in seeking wisdom, yet there is also hopeful action.
By reading and studying Proverbs together, we are turning toward Scripture in our wisdom seeking, but we are not stopping there. We’re using poetry, like Wild Geese by Mary Oliver, as a call to worship that nods to the world outside of the church that is seeping with wisdom. We’re encouraging each other to share ideas on where and how to seek wisdom. I love how the Catholic Church encourages us to seek wisdom in Scripture, Tradition, and out in the world. The world that God created has so much to teach us. And each of us, also created by God, are going to enjoy seeking wisdom in different ways.
When we asked congregation members how they seek wisdom, here are some of the answers we got:
- Read the Bible
- Seek out experts
- Experiment with something new, being willing to fail and start more intelligently
- Ask for a slice of wisdom via prayer
- Be still, away from distractions, and think
- Listen to someone else’s (potentially valuable and unique) perspective on something
- List what you don’t know now that you used to think you knew to keep you honest and seeking
- Find a good source of information (parent, grandparent, etc.) and ask them the hard questions
- Giggle with a child
- Walk through the woods
- Read a really good smelling book
- Listen to classical music
- Ask worldly people questions they find interesting to answer
- Allow the sound and rhythm of your breath to calm you
- Hold a newborn
How do you seek wisdom? I’d love more ideas as I commit to trying a few of these ideas with my eyes and heart open to receiving God’s wisdom.
Keeping Faith Today 