Wisdom

 

June 2, 2024

Today we were reading in Mosiah 29 where Mosiah suggests to his people that they don't appoint another king to take his place.  He explained to the people all the dangers of being ruled by a king and he went through a number of idfferent scenarios that could lead to bad outcomes.  In vs. 8 he says, ". . . let us be wise and consider these things . . .", and then later in vs. 10, ". . . let us be wise and look forward to these things . . .". It made me think about the word, "wise".  What makes a man "wise"?  King Mosiah suggested that looking ahead to possible consequences of our choices is wise.  That rang very true to me.  Wisdom comes from being complete in our assessment of situations, of looking at the big picture, and from gaining long term perspective.  I've always described my Dad as a very wise person and have considered wisdom to be one of his hallmark characteristics.  He was one who looked at situations from every angle and measured  results by looking down the road at the possible outcomes.  Even as a tiny little girl, I remember him asking me when I got hurt or was offended by something, "Do you think it'll feel better before you get married?".  That was his way of helping me to judge the importance of my current crisis.  He wasn't quick to draw conclusions, but I remember him chewing on a toothpick, or just patiently and quietly considering before he voiced his opinion.  I've always wanted to be wise like my Dad but have spent most of my life feeling like it was a gift that he was born with that I don't necessarily have.  I think I'd like to try to develop wisdom by carefully and intentionally considering the long term effects that will come from a situation I'm in or a decision I'm making.