Raising children is one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences in life. It brings more joys and sorrows than almost any other relationship responsibility. Kids don’t come with an instruction manual. We have to figure it out on our own. Or do we?
Our passage today speaks of a parent trying to lead their child in the right direction. The benefits of following his instruction are great. Read back through the passage a list them. The first four verses (vv10-13) have the benefits in the second half of each verse. But how can we know for sure that if we follow wisdom we will get these benefits? I know some very wise, very faithful people who have died of cancer.
Take a look at these verses again. The benefits of this wisdom have to do with our walk in life. Wisdom will keep us from making really stupid choices. We won’t shorten our lives prematurely, take all the side roads, stumble, or miss out on real life. Think for a moment about some of those side roads you have taken, some of those things you regret, the things that you would do differently if you could go back and do them again. Wisdom would have helped you to avoid those mistakes.
For sure, you can learn from mistakes, but you can learn from successes as well. Mistakes are not the only repository of wisdom. Getting it right the first time can teach great lessons as well, and without the pain. So don’t glorify the mistakes. Don’t excuse the side road by saying you learned from it. Side roads are a net loss.
The second half of our passage (vv14-17) gives a glimpse of the path of someone who rejects God’s wisdom. We might think that doing evil has no down side. But they are driven to evil (v16). Instead of being in charge of their lives, doing evil becomes the boss. Like a cocaine addict, their life becomes consumed by the next fix of evil. They lose control of their own lives.
The everyday activities move to the side and take on a different flavor when evil is in charge. Like the food and drink we consume, evil becomes what sustains the evil person.
You might say this sounds extreme, but it isn’t. Evil is like metastatic cancer. It will consume all of you over time.
So choose wisdom. It enriches and fulfills over time. You get to choose which end result you want. Choose wisely and follow through on the choice, moment by moment, day by day. You won’t regret wisdom.
The Arnold Journey 