Solomon asked for wisdom, and God gave it to him. The book of Proverbs is full of the wisdom that God gave to him. In James 1:5, it tells us that God will give generously to all who ask for wisdom without finding fault. God desires that his children have wisdom.

Today, when people think of wisdom, I think it often gets intermingled with other things. 

People are considered wise if..

• In businesses, they come up with clever business models
• In teaching, they have new and interesting methods that captivate children and help them to learn. 
• In design, they develop unique and brilliant innovations. 
• With children, they are prodigies who have talents beyond their years
• For contractors, they are able to manage large groups of laborers while also constructing beautiful homes. 
• In IT, they deliver a new product that can change the world.

Every field has its sought after skills and traits for the people they hire. Certain characteristics can also be counted as wise. Employers look for people who

• are quick thinkers 
• can solve problems 
• follow through with the wishes of those around them
• are great speakers 
• can facilitate conferences and seminars
• are charismatic 
• can organize people and excite everyone around a cause
• are intelligent
• can make space shuttles launch, investments boom and bring about new businesses that appeal to many consumers
• are artists that can convey ideas and emotions through music, paintings and movement.

 There are so many ways a person can be thought of as wise in the workplace.

What is wisdom supposed to look like in my life?

Sometimes, it’s easy to not feel wise. Recently, I have doubted my capabilities because novel ideas aren’t coming to me as quickly or being captured in writing to be kept forever. Even though I have thrived in generating ideas in the past, I haven’t had time to journal about large concepts God is teaching me, so I lose any ideas that I do have. The ideas part of me is somewhat dormant. I am absorbing lessons without a chance to process and dispense what I am learning.

As I was praying about this, God reminded me of the passage from James 5, verses 13 through 18, that says:

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Reading this passage helps me contrast what IS wisdom with what is NOT considered wise in God’s eyes. This is my plumb line.

WISDOM…	Wisdom does NOT display
Leads a good life Acts with humility Is pure Is peace-loving Is considerate Is submissive Is full of mercy and good fruit Is impartial Is sincere Sows peace Reaps a harvest of righteousness	Bitter envy Pride Selfish ambition Boasting Denying the truth Disorder Evil practices

Even though God has me in a season of practicing wisdom’s traits with no tangible results, He is still allowing me to operate with wisdom. It’s not what I produce that matters, it’s who I am as I interact with others that really counts. If I serve with humility, love, thoughtfulness, gentleness, sincerity, submission and fairness, wisdom will be a natural outcome.

PRODUCTS and CONCLUSIONS

Thinking back to what I wrote earlier, I am wondering something. Here’s a list of products and characteristics once again. Would these be considered wise in and of themselves?

The generation of ideas Clever business models Interesting methods Great organization Unique innovations Artistic talent  Superior management styles Charismatic facilitating Intelligence New and useful products Moving symphonies Tear-jerking stories or movies Magnificent orator skills Scientific understanding Ground-breaking research

I believe this list is neutral. Creating is part of our wiring. We were designed to create alongside our Creator. He puts lots of ideas and passions inside of all of us, and He wants us to use the gifts, talents and ideas to glorify him. The sticky part is HOW we create.

Are we dispersing ideas with a spirit of pride or selfish ambition? Are we competitive and full of envy? If we are, I don’t believe the outcome will be good. I also don’t think it’s considered wise in God’s eyes. Anything produced from the motivations on the right column (above) can produce remarkable or even admired things, but in the end, it will fall short. 

Hitler was a really talented guy who was really good at most things listed in that lower box, but the motivation behind his ideas, talents and skills produced horrifying results.

I have to constantly ask myself if I am creating with a spirit of humility, peace, openness to other ideas and love. Are my “products” coming from wise characteristics? If so, then it will probably result in something that will be considered wise in God’s eyes and man’s eyes. It will be beautiful. 

A small child motivated by love and humility will produce something really simple that can make a mom cry and cause her to display it. I think of all the kids’ art projects I’ve hung around my house and on our refrigerator… They were beautiful pieces of art because they were produced with sincerity of heart and traits of wisdom…in my children!

In my opinion, the outcome of ideas and productivity have no value. The only valuable thing produced on this earth is backed by the wisdom talked about in James. My prayer is that anytime I put my hand to creating something or interacting with others, gentleness, purity, humility and genuine love will guide that process. I want to sow peace with every endeavor.

I stand in awe of the ultimate Wise Creator.

*Thank you to John Fichtner for first introducing some of these ideas to me.