Living wisely involves sharing wisdom with those in our lives.
As we do so, we need to keep in mind the three levels of processing information:
- Knowledge has to do with the facts and information itself.
- Understanding involves the meaning of the facts.
- Wisdom applies the knowledge by looking at what to do with it.
As biblical example, think of the account of Moses leading the people of Israel in Exodus 18:13–23. In this example, Moses has the knowledge that people come to him for help in judging their cases. The understanding comes when Jethro recognizes that this is too heavy a burden for Moses to carry and suggests delegating out some responsibility. The wisdom in this comes when Moses applies Jethro’s advice.
A Spiritual and Physical Sojourn
Wisdom has numerous facets to it—skill, fear of the Lord, prudence, equity, humility, and obedience, to name just a few. As a result, we who were created to live wisely are also complex. We have many facets of wisdom in which we need to grow and develop over the course of our life.
Part of this complexity arises from the fact that we are both spiritual and physical beings who are on a short sojourn on this earth. Our lives are but a dash between two dates—birth and death.
God calls us to grow wiser and increase in the skill of living as we grow older.
Intergenerational Wisdom
As we increase in wisdom over the course of our lives, we are to share what we learn with others, and we are also to learn from those who are older than us.
The sharing of intergenerational wisdom generates respect and a greater ability to live well during this sojourn. This is partially because God has given each of us different skillsets and different experiences. We do not grow at the same rate or in the same ways. As a result, we must share the wisdom we have with others, polishing the facets of wisdom in each of our lives.
Another benefit of sharing intergenerational wisdom is accountability. To be accountable is to protect yourself from yourself. You need to invite someone who has skill in a particular area to help mentor you in that area. As you grow, consider mentoring someone else—pass on your own wisdom and learn from others.
Check out Ken’s other Friday morning videos here.
For practical exercises to help you live wisely, read through Ken’s Life in the Presence of God and the guide that accompanies it.
