Wisdom First

“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,

before his deeds of old;

I was formed long ages ago,

At the very beginning, when the world came to be.

When there were no watery depths,

I was given birth,

when there were no springs

overflowing with water;

before the mountains were settled in place,

before the hills, I was given birth,

before he made the world or its fields

or any of the dust of the earth.

I was there when he set the heavens in place,

when he marked out the horizon on

the face of the deep,

when he established the clouds above

and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

when he gave the sea its boundary

so that the waters would not overstep his command,

and when he marked out the

foundations of the earth.

Then I was constantly at his side.

I was filled with delight day after day,

rejoicing always in his presence,

rejoicing in his whole world

and delighting in the human race.

Now then, my children, listen to me;

blessed are those who keep my ways.

Listen to my instruction and be wise;

do not disregard it.

Blessed are those who listen to me,

watching daily at my doors,

waiting at my doorway.

For those who find me find life

and receive favour from the Lord.

But those who fail to find me harm themselves;

all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 8:22 – 36

That is what we read on the first day of school this term. Proverbs 8 because it was the 8th of May and since there is a Proverbs chapter for every day of even the longest months, we always have Proverbs to fall back on, or begin with, should I say. I was frayed at the edges, uninspired and unprepared as far as home schooling goes, and the thought of winter had me dreading the term, if I’m honest. Reading these words was nothing short of a sparkling gift to me and my children. A gift and a key:

Ask for wisdom before you start anything.

Before “In the beginning,” there was wisdom. When the earth was nothing, wisdom was something for real. On the brink of creation, wisdom was rejoicing at His side. As I sat there with my children, on the verge of a new season of official learning, I had nothing to give but the books in our basket that we read aloud together each day. I had “nothing” and yet everything when I found these living words. I suddenly understood that my frailty and reliance on God are my strength. I realised that where I thought I was lacking was actually for the best, because I read these words and grabbed onto them with my whole being. Oh how I needed that wisdom! More than all the energy, money and time in the world. If I had been prepared with all my ducks in a row, I wouldn’t have been so needy for all the good gifts God gives. I might have barged into all our creating and discovering and growing with all the commitment and none of the spark that we so desperately need.

It’s a beautiful thing to have all the books and resources ready, but over the years I have seen with my own eyes, that the Holy Spirit is deeply interested in our education; and it is wise not to hold too tightly onto all our plans. If we do, we miss the utter thrill of learning hand in hand with Him, the One who made it all! He sparks conversations and places friends in our laps. Books come into our hands without striving and we hear about tutors and field trips and get information in ways that I could never have conjured up myself. It all comes alive and the days hold surprises. Charlotte Mason agreed. She said, “We hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above.”

When my children were little I would write at the end of the day what we had accomplished. It was less about forecasts and records and a whole lot more about getting down and doing. Somewhere along the way I stopped writing about the day gone by and began to fret more about what we might do tomorrow and next month. But once again, I am awake to the Spirit of God guiding and leading us on this journey. Having access to all the books and materials and advice is a great thing, but “unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.” - Psalm 127:1.

So I asked for wisdom before we began. Oh, and let me always get wisdom before starting new things. I want to watch darkness turn to light! I want us to experience order and an explosion of newness as we walk humbly wise. I want us to experience abundant life and flourishing growth; holy fires burning, containers overflowing, hearts awake to the incredible wonder of it all.

Isaiah 54:13 – “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.”