written by Bruce Talbert
According to experts, the past two years have brought about the most challenging economic times since the Great Depression. Several factors have played into this situation, ranging from bad housing loans, financial derivatives, and even to some extent a general lack of financial discipline. I certainly don’t have the knowledge to understand this in detail, but I don’t have to. All I know is when I look at my 401(K), what’s supposed to be my financial nest egg has turned into more of a financial jelly bean! Oh it’s starting to come back, and it will regain its value, but not like gold. I just checked. The two-year return on gold is over 40% with historical returns pushing 180%! Did the author of this passage have this in mind when he penned the words “wisdom….yields better returns than gold?” If that’s true, then where do I sign up for the wisdom exchange? Forget mutual funds, stocks and bonds, I want a piece of this action!
In all seriousness though, our financial investments fluctuate over time, and in some cases do lose value. Wisdom however, is an instrument that does not lose its value. Rubies and gold can’t compare to it, and I get the idea that it’s futile to try to even make this comparison. We’re told that it is by this wisdom God created the world we live in. I like science, and probably like you I find myself watching the Discovery Channel quite often, as I’m fascinated by how things work. One truth that pervades each documentary, however, is the fact that we still don’t know everything there is to know about our world; we’re constantly learning. Perhaps the destination of this seemingly never-ending journey of knowledge is one factor that adds such value to wisdom. This vast pool of knowledge out there, that I won’t ever attain, is possessed by God, though. And this God, who loved me in my weakened, compromised, and failing position with Him, sent His Son to rescue me. What a startling contrast between all knowledge, power, synergy, and “bigness,” and me, a single individual living just a few years on this earth. But it is true. God’s knowledge of everything includes what is going on in my world—my frustrations, my pain, every detail of my life, even if it’s just an ordinary day. He knows what makes me tick and what ticks me off. He knows when I succeed and when I fail. But most importantly he knows my heart. This provides comfort for those times when my failings outweigh my best intentions, or when my limitations cause me not to respond to what my heart truly desires. Knowing this somehow makes the crazy world we live in more tolerable. God is interested in you. What will you do with this knowledge today?
Your fellow traveler, Bruce