Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway (Proverbs 8:34).

Do you ever fall into this trap: I’m not smart enough, good enough, quick enough? This gets talked about a lot in graduate school. It usually seems to me that I’m spending way too much time finding an answer or solving a problem in my lab. I should be faster! Others handle these things without needing to think twice! I don’t think this is exclusive to science or academics either. People have created a massive industry designed around accessing instant information and solutions to just about anything.

So, with such easy access to the answers to all our problems (yeah, right) what does it even mean to be wise anymore? What makes someone truly wise compared to anyone with a smartphone? When I think about my professors and research advisors, the thing they have that I’m missing is experience. Where I toil on a problem and struggle through understanding the details, they call on the many times they’ve undoubtedly struggled through similar issues. They’ve already put in the hours necessary to get to that desirable level of skill and understanding.

Pursuing wisdom in any area of life requires patience and perseverance. That same wisdom protects me from falling into the trap I mentioned earlier. This is where I find the symbolism of Proverbs 8 so compelling. Wisdom is instructing us to watch for her and wait at her doorway. If we stop by, she will surely be there for us and even invite us in!

But maybe she isn’t standing behind the door to open up at a moment’s notice when we decide to come around. I often wish that I was clutching Wisdom by the arm so that she could provide me with the nugget of truth to solve my problems. However, I think she says, “Be patient; be willing to wait for me. You don’t need to rush to always have a quick answer.” Besides, how many times has the quick, poorly informed decision led you down the wrong path?

I’m not a very fast person. But I’m finding that slowing down to wait brings me peace and confidence. In my day-to-day, patience with myself helps me zero in on really learning rather than chasing quick results. In the long term, I might reach the level of my advisors if I am persistent and “watch daily” at Wisdom’s doors. Whatever God’s plan is for me, waiting in Wisdom’s doorway will lead down the path of life.

Consider Wisdom’s call to wait for her. Are you busy running through the neighborhood as you try to solve problems and accomplish your goals, or do you wait at her door for her to guide you?