“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom…Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.” (Proverbs 3:13, 17b)

Checkmark the one below which fits you (or someone you know!):

• The dad on Christmas Eve, assembling the tricycle, who tells his wife (who’s seen this behavior before), “thanks, honey, but I don’t need the manual; I can figure this out.” 
• The sister, struggling for an hour to figure out the correct Excel formula, who finally calls her expert brother who says, “watch this YouTube video.” 
• The driver who eschews any suggestion of GPS or even a spouse’s verbal directions because “I know where I’m going.” (We know where this will likely end up.)

When all else fails (and it usually does), read the instructions. 

Why do we treat the “expert” as our last resort? Is it our can-do, DIY persona? Can we not stand admitting we don’t know everything we think we should? Are we too proud to follow someone else’s directions? As we have all discovered, when we follow our own “wisdom,” we reap the (usually negative) consequences. You’d think we’d learn.

The Book of Proverbs counsels over and over against such foolishness.  The Way of Wisdom, godly wisdom that is, leads to blessing if we'll follow her path. Yes, we have plenty of lower case “w” wisdom to call on. YouTube videos are fantastic tools, difficult-to-interpret manuals do have the correct ordering of steps, and nav apps obviously know more than we do. And pursuing these avenues first, even if it means tamping down our pride or admitting we might not know where all the parts go (“the tricycle doesn’t need all those extra screws anyway…”), is certainly a step toward wisdom.

After all, wisdom involves following someone else’s guidelines, someone who has authority. But we’re going to need LIFE help more than we need Excel chart help, and that’s where Wisdom, godly wisdom, provides the right formula to input, if you will. Prov. 3 explains walking in Wisdom means trusting God, leaning on His understanding, and not being wise in our own eyes (oh, how we’re prone to that temptation). 

When we’re itching to do-it-ourselves first and check in with an expert later, let’s remember Wisdom’s invitation: “‘Let all who are simple come!’ she says to those who lack judgment. ‘Leave your simple ways; walk in the way of understanding’.” (9:1-6). If we’re offended at being called “simple,” let’s admit we’re far too frequently foolish when we try our own wisdom first. Tricycle instruction manuals may not be divinely inspired, but we “lack judgment” when we toss them aside. 

And for weightier matters, we dare not toss aside the Divine Manual.

“All [Wisdom’s] paths are peace” (3:17). And isn’t that better than Christmas Eve annoyance, Excel formula frustration, and hearing “I knew we’d get lost”? Lord, help us lay down our own pride, for we know Your ways are best. Help us to seek Your guidance first, not “when all else fails.”