Wisdom was present when God created mankind. Not only did wisdom provide the master craftsmanship needed for this world, but it provided the emotion necessary for having families. This emotional ability allows us to experience the delight of children. #rejoicing
Pictured above is our two oldest children (30+ years ago). They experienced all the moving around we required to get settled in our careers. We went from Sacramento to Europe and North Africa for a year, landing back in Iowa. We eventually came full circle to Chico, before moving home again to the Sacramento area.
When we keep the ways of wisdom, we are constantly learning and growing- never static. It could mean we travel “full-circle” to learn something we fully resisted at the start.
Having a family has a way of bringing maturity to young adults. It helps us realize that not all “work” is drudgery but a means to providing for our family. Seeing the joy and excitement of children well-cared for is surely reward enough to keep punching that time clock. (Vs. carried away by fanciful dreams of “self-fulfillment” that don’t pay the bills)
When some moms looked at me with four children during my “stay at home mom” days, they would ask: “don’t you feel like you’ve lost your identity?” Or “don’t you just have to get out of the house? …I go to work in order to take a break.”
Instead, I would answer with, “it may be the hardest job I’ve done (being 24/7 on call), but I feel honored to share my identity with four others.” In other words, I never felt I was shrinking but expanding.
Wisdom helps us move forward with the right perspective even when we need to dig deep for courage to learn and grow.
After reading an informative article on Linked In by Fast company.com, I understood better the difficult financial climate our young people face today. Many have had to decide whether to include having a family to their future plans. My question (after reading it) was, have financial times changed that much or have values changed (needing all the bells and whistles before considering a family)?
Wisdom reminds us of God’s heart to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. For those who have infertility issues or physical barriers, there are many children who need to be cared for who are without parents or resources. The joy of being part of an “inhabited” world is true wisdom. -Teresa
Proverbs 8:27-32English Standard Version*
27 When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above,
when he established[a] the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his[b] delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31 rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.
32 “And now, O sons, listen to me:
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 8:28 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Proverbs 8:30 Or daily filled with
Reconnection 