Proverbs 28:26

Those who trust in themselves are foolish, but those who live wisely will be kept safe.

The foundations of wisdom were established by God before the formation of our universe, hence a pretty long time before the formation of  you and me. Wisdom is so readily available today, it is a wonder we still search and search for it as if it is confusingly elusive. First off, God is available to be asked for wisdom. And I think He wants to grant it to us. I also think He waits for us to sincerely ask for and seek it, not just lazily wish to be zapped with it by our Lord. Also, how many have gone before us and found wisdom and meaning in this life that we can read of and from? Tho each of us must find truth on our own, for real belief comes thru self-discovery, it is not as if there is different core truth for each and every person, as in moral relativism.

Knowing God is great wisdom. And I like how Brother Lawrence said that we can only really know God thru love, because He is love. We do not get to know Him thru a book, thru teaching, or even thru serving others necessarily, for our serving can merely be a “should” to us. No, it is when we love, from our heart, this God we come to know as the ultimate Source of love. It is when we love others with no expectations (resulting in true service) that we experience God. We get a glimpse of His greatness if ever we spend even a moment unconditionally loving someone.

To know someone or something is to know it on its level. To speak its language. You cannot really know me thru texting alone, for instance. That is not my true level of communication. Tho some may disagree, I don’t believe I could ever really get to know a chipmunk. I don’t see ever being able to enter its level of communication or it really entering mine.

To know God is to know Him on His level which, from what I understand, is spirit and love. To know God at all is to at least know Him on these levels. Intellectually knowing Him is only half knowing Him at best, if at all really, employing only the left hemisphere of the brain. Enjoying Him via joyful friendship is the other half. And this thru love. Perhaps this is some partial explanation of those we read about in the Bible who cry, “Lord, Lord we did all these things for you!”and yet God says, “I never knew you.” I don’t know, gives me something to think about.

One beautiful way to enjoy friendship with God that I have found is exercising twentieth century mystic Frank Laubach’s idea of turning all your inner thoughts into conversations with God.

Try it today.

Luke 14:7-11

All who make themselves great will be made humble, but those who make themselves humble will be made great.

Humble people think of others first.

For example, they perhaps do not always take the front parking space when available because they think of pregnant women or people with bad knees who could use that space much more than themselves. And then they enjoy the walk to the front door using the legs God gave them and health they have from His goodness, thanking Him all the way.

They hold others as more important than themselves, not in a self-deprecating manner, but in a humble, loving way. C.S. Lewis said that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. You think, “I have been given the gift of life just like everybody else. Who am I to deserve more than anyone else?”

If grace is true, then how can I be more important than anybody else?

Here’s a couple quotes of awesomeness from Martin Laird out of his incredibly insightful book Into the Silent Land:

In order for humility to mature it must blossom into self-forgetfulness.

We have to let go of everything, even our sense of being a miserable failure.

Side note: I think a funny name would be “Saint Maximus the Humble.”