WISDOM FOR ALL TIMES, WISDOM FOR OUR TIMES

WISDOM FOR ALL TIMES, WISDOM FOR OUR TIMES

This is a quarterly newsletter promoting wisdom within our culture.

This newsletter is presented by Geoff Woods, Certified Life Coach and Founder of

The Institute of Wisdom and Courage.

It has been awhile since my last newsletter and it is my hope that you are becoming captivated by the idea of wisdom and enjoying the process of gaining more wisdom in your lives. Here is my seventh newsletter entitled WISDOM FOR ALL TIMES, WISDOM FOR OUR TIMES.

—Geoff Woods

In my last newsletter, I wrote about two principles I have chosen to live by, and one of them contained the idea of self-control. To refresh your memory, this particular principle stated that true and greater happiness can be experienced in developing the four fruits of wisdom, which are self-control, sound judgment, reconciled relationships, and courage. As a way of gaining more wisdom, I have been studying Proverbs and came across a verse I’d like to share with you.

Proverbs 25:28

“A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls.”

This verse struck me because I never thought of self-control this way; I never thought of it as leaving me defenseless. As I reflected upon this verse two questions came to mind: If I don’t have self-control then how does it leave me defenseless, and what exactly am I defenseless against? What I know to be true is when I am out of control I fall victim to my own thoughts and instincts and I don’t have the strength to defend myself against them. I also realize I am more easily manipulated, which means I give into people’s demands instead of standing up for what is right or telling the truth. I still think there is more insight to be gained from this verse, so I plan on thinking about it further and praying for insight regarding the idea that without self-control I am defenseless.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AND INSPIRE

What do you think it means to be defenseless without self-control?
And what kinds of things might one be defenseless against?

I value your opinion and truly want to learn from your ideas, so I look forward to reading your answers to these questions.

Now, let’s return to looking at four more characteristics of wisdom. Below is the same text that I have been using in my previous newsletters. This time we will take a close look at sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful and overseeing all. I encourage you

The Nature of Wisdom

There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle. For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom. She is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

Book of Wisdom 7:22-30

King Solomon

The first of the four characteristics is sure. When someone says the words “I’m sure,” it means the person is certain and confident about being right. Sure also has several other meanings such as not to fail, to be always effective, to be relied or depended upon or absolutely true. The writer is stating that wisdom can give humans certainty, truth, and confidence to use in life, especially during difficult times. Stated another way, wisdom can give us the ability to be sure in what to say and how to act in our daily transactions with people. Wouldn’t this be an incredible gift to possess?

Free from anxiety, simply stated, is liberation from the oppression of worries in life or liberated from the burden of anxiety. The first question that comes to my mind is how is this possible? How will wisdom lead me to be free from anxiety? Our lives can be journeys toward wisdom or not, and if we seek wisdom then we can be on the path to be free from the anxiety of making bad, unhealthy or destructive decisions. To me, the thought of being free from anxiety is simple to understand and is desirable. After all, imagine what life would be like without worry over complex issues like finances, career, and relationships. Again, is this even possible? I am completely captivated by this idea, especially since it could have such an incredible, positive impact on my life. I plan on thinking and praying about this some more.

The third characteristic is all-powerful. Power means to possess great ability to do or act or greatly influence. Wisdom has the power to influence our lives, and when we possess this it will give us the ability to act in a new, profound way and to do things in our lives we never thought possible. Wisdom isn’t just powerful, but it is all-powerful. It has the ability to permeate all aspects of our lives, such as our finances, eating habits, sex drive, politics, and faith. Wisdom has the power to move these different areas of our lives from the mundane to the holy.

The fourth and final characteristic is overseeing all, which means to watch over and manage or to supervise. In Proverbs 8, King Solomon writes about how wisdom calls out to people at particular places such as crossroads, the gates in front of the town, and at the entrance of the portals. These particular places are where a lot of human transactions take place such as buying and selling products, making of friendships, marriages, and business contracts. The idea here is that wisdom exists to help us make good and just decisions in our daily transactions. Wisdom exists in a sense to supervise, examine and inspect our choices since we always will find ourselves in the position of choosing between what is wise and what is unwise.

I am truly humbled by all four of these characteristics because they made me realize I don’t possess them. I now have a new goal in life which is to put them into effect and see how they might come to be true and relevant in my life. I have been praying to God to show me how I can live out these characteristics of wisdom, especially to be free from anxiety.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AND INSPIRE

Do you have uncertainty in your life? If so, do you desire certainty?
Do you have a vision of wisdom that leads you to be free from anxiety?
Have you experienced the all powerful nature of wisdom in any area of your life? If so, how did it manifest itself? If not, are you inspired to find out how wisdom can be an all-powerful force in your life?

Again, I value your opinions and experiences and want to continue to learn from your ideas. Please communicate your answers to me via e-mail. My e-mail address is written below. Thank you very much.

LOOKING AHEAD

In the next newsletter I will be shifting to another text which is Proverbs. My newsletter will focus on the following concept: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Ways to Communicate With Me:

You can e-mail me at institutewisdomcourage@yahoo.com.

You can visit my web site at www.wisdomcourage.com.

Services Offered at The Institute of Wisdom and Courage:

One on one life coaching on gaining wisdom and courage.
Public speaking on reconciliation of broken relationships, especially with parents.