Wisdom

For the last several weeks, I've been thinking a lot about wisdom. I realized that over the years my wife has displayed wisdom on countless occasions, and it's probably safe to say that most of the time her wisdom surpasses my own. Wisdom is such a rare quality, and yet it's absolutely essential. None of us can do without it in some form or fashion, and if we don't possess it ourselves, we usually know someone who does. If our own wisdom doesn't sustain us, that of someone else does.

My wife's wisdom has often had a supernatural aspect; looking back, I can see that some of her decisions were divinely inspired. It's not easy to articulate why I believe this, but suffice it to say that I've seen her make difficult decisions with an assurance that was truly remarkable, and then circumstances would just come together in a way that seemed to suit the decisions. Historically, she prays, and then she decides. I believe it's a gift of the Holy Spirit, and I also feel fairly confident that she has the gift of faith as well. Wisdom and faith ... those two are quite the combination.

I've also come to the conclusion that wisdom is greater than knowledge. Knowledge is essentially information. Wisdom is akin to knowledge, but fuller, richer, and has overtones of goodness. If knowledge is like a circle, wisdom is like a sphere.