~ "Happy, happy, joy, joy..."

Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding. (Prov 3:13)

Wisdom is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as "the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting". It's not something we are born with. It comes from learning. How do we learn? We learn by experience, studying and doing. There are many levels of wisdom - from being smart enough to know not to touch a hot stove to the most well-known example of wisdom, cutting the child in half. We all fall into different categories. Some of us even refer to it as "common sense". I have friends who are super smart, but don't have enough sense to get out of their own way! Sometimes we all lack common sense when it comes to our spiritual life.

To be truly wise in God's word, we have to read it and study it. How can we expect to understand what it is God wants for us if we aren't? Our lives are complex and complicated right from the start. We have needs that must be met in order to maintain life. We need to eat, we need to sleep, we need to be kept warm and have shelter. The same is true of our spiritual lives. We need to be fed.

I have not always been as faithful to attending "church" as I am now. I still get my feathers ruffled from time to time and want to say "nope - doing it my way". I even play hooky occasionally and then the Lord reminds me, quite boldly, where it is I am supposed to be and why I am supposed to be there. I cannot grow if I am not fed. God enlightens preachers and speakers to share his word. What I miss when I'm not in attendance could be the sermon that changes my life, answers a prayer or opens a door. When I whine and say "but I have a right to a life, a right to be happy", I am forgetting one very important statement that follows that sentence: "but not before God's right to be happy". He doesn't owe us anything. He's already given us far more than we deserve. He's given us the gift of eternal life, through Jesus.

We need to get to a point in our lives where God truly is all we need. Until then, nothing we do will be as rewarding or fulfilling as knowing that we are pleasing to him. When I realized that I was exactly where he wanted me, a peace came over me. I don't understand the reasons why I am where I am, I don't need to. All I need to know is that I am loved and protected by the Father. My life is in God's hands. When I have a life firmly planted in faith and love, his blessings will pour down upon me in ways more perfect than I could have ever imagined. So, today, I walk a path that is narrow, but blessed. I try to do what is right in God's eyes, not society's. It's not always easy, and many of my friends just don't understand it. God has changed me; his love has changed my outlook and expectations. I am no longer the sinner I once was, although I am still a sinner. Today I choose not to be the rebel defying God's everlasting law for me and going at life with a vengeance of "he'll just have to forgive me for this" - I cannot knowingly defy God anymore.

Don't allow your grief, your hurt, or your pain to cause you to step aside from God's path. God keeps his promises! Keep yours!