The Gift of Wisdom Comes Through Community
By Karina Allen
Wisdom comes with age, or at least that’s what they say. I’ve learned that that’s not always the case. I’ve met teenagers who are wise beyond their years and older people who in many ways haven’t gained the wisdom their years would assume they would have. Wisdom doesn’t just naturally come with age.
God has much to say about wisdom. His Word is filled with verses about wisdom. Proverbs 2 tells us that God is the One who gives wisdom. When something is given, it is a gift. James 1 instructs us to ask God for wisdom if we are lacking it and it will be generously given. James 3 reminds us that humility comes from wisdom. Ephesians 1 says we receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, which enables us to know Christ better.
I often pride myself on being wise. I can associate it with the fact that I am forty-one or that I have overcome certain challenges. It could be because I have a ton of common sense or because I am incredibly independent. But that’s not enough to be wise.
The Spirit of wisdom comes when we ask Him to come. He comes when we acknowledge our need, and often He comes through community.
Proverbs 13:20 commands us to “walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” When you look around at your life, are you surrounded by wise people? It matters who we are surrounded by, and I have found that to be true in my life even as I get older.
A few months ago, I reconnected with Sandra, an older woman whom I met a few years prior at a local Christian Women in Media meeting. Sitting around a table, we each shared a dream we had for our lives and what we felt was an obstacle to that dream. Afterwards, we exchanged contact information in order to cheer each other on and keep each other accountable. It was a beautiful time together, and I left feeling encouraged in my dream though I still had some doubt that it would ever happen.
Soon after the meeting, I received a call from Sandra. She and her husband have been in ministry for decades. She shared with me how the Lord spoke to her to do whatever she could to help me accomplish His calling for my life. Honestly, I was in a bit of disbelief. No one had ever taken that much of an interest in my life before. We began meeting almost weekly. I’ve broken bread with her and her husband. He’s spoken life and purpose into me, and Sandra has been a wealth of wisdom and the queen of testimonies.
She has repeatedly poured out her time, energy, resources, gifts, counsel, and prayer into my life. She has given freely and generously, and I couldn’t be more grateful to God for the treasure she has been to me.
We need wisdom in how we live our lives, how we parent, how we work, how we make decisions, and how we minister. God designed us to be in community so we can receive wisdom from each other; we were never meant to do life alone. No matter our age, season of life, or circumstances, we can all give and receive wisdom. This wisdom blesses not only our lives; it is meant to bless the lives of those around us.
Karina Allen is devoted to helping women live out their unique calling and building authentic community through practical application of Scripture in an approachable, winsome manner.