The title is an African proverb. It certainly describes me.
Last week I walked into the office of the Cordell Beacon in order to place an ad and I walked out with an invitation to submit articles for the religion column in the newspaper. This is my first contribution. I am starting with a few thoughts about wisdom based on my newly published book: Wisdom About Wisdom. (For more information about the book, go to the website: reflections-on-wisdom.com) Writing this book started years ago while my wife and I were stuck inside our apartment due to Covid 19 restrictions. Writing was just a way to fill my time, a hobby that lasted for four years. That hobby reached a climax yesterday (June 10) when we hosted a Book Launch Party at the Baptist Village in Cordell. Since I am writing this article before the party happened, I don’t know how many people came—I hope a few did—but for me the book launch was both a milestone and a chance to move on.
The subtitle of the book is “How the Bible Defines and Redefines Wisdom.” The book explores what the Bible says about wisdom. Let me say upfront that this is not as obvious as it might seem. When I started writing, I thought I knew a lot about wisdom—but I was wrong. Through the process of studying the Bible’s wisdom literature, including the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, the gospels, the epistles, and James, I had to correct many of my assumptions about wisdom. Maybe the first thing I learned was that I wasn’t very wise!
Perhaps the Bible’s most important lesson regarding wisdom can be summarized in this phrase I used frequently in the book: “Wisdom is more about hearts than smarts.” I used to think of wisdom as a form of “smarts,” meaning intelligence. While it is true that the word wisdom often does mean expertise in careful thinking: understanding where I am now, and where I want to be, and how to get there. Having such insight and foresight requires wisdom. But that is not the primary meaning of wisdom as found in scripture. Biblically speaking, wisdom is more about character. Here are some passages describing character as found in the book Wisdom About Wisdom: “Though no one is born wise, some do become wise. And others become fools. Both of these labels describe a person’s character.”
The four main character types identified in the book of Proverbs are the wise, the fools, the upright, and the wicked. Recognizing the differences between these character types is critical to living wisely. “The word “character” doesn’t actually appear in the Bible, but the word “heart” is the closest equivalent. Wisdom and uprightness are located in a person’s heart. The instruction Proverbs gives to those of us wanting to become wise is that there are two steps: First, we must allow wise teachings to enter our hearts, that is to shape our character, to become an internal compass to guide our steps. And, second, we must guard our heart—that is, protect our character— for the heart is the source of everything we do: ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ (Proverbs 4:23—NIV)” So the Bible teaches that wisdom is more about character than intellect: hearts, not smarts.
This lesson on wisdom leads us to two more surprises. Perhaps the most surprising takeaway from scripture is that becoming wise is actually possible! We can each become wise! But how? Come back next time as we consider that. The second surprise is that becoming wise is not limited to being religious. Someone has described the book of Proverbs as religion in street clothes: how we live out our faith when we are not in church. Wisdom is concerned with how we live with our families, in our workplace, in our neighborhood, in our community, in our country, and in the world. In each of these places, Character Counts!
In future articles I plan to share more thoughts about wisdom, as well as missionary stories my wife and I experienced while living in other countries, and also reflections about how we can live out our faith on a daily basis. I suppose writing this column is my new hobby. I invite you to follow along.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell.