Wisdom By Experience

In a story that rivals that of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, the Old Testament tells the tale of how King Solomon was granted a supernatural wish. In a dream God offered the young king anything he desired. He asked for wisdom. He asked for common sense, for “an understanding mind and discernment.”

God granted the request and Solomon, indeed, became an unrivaled savant. His wisdom was “as measureless as the sand on the seashore, and from all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s counsel.”

Most of us will never get this opportunity, though the Scriptures implore us to pray for wisdom when it is needed. And even if we were granted a magical wish by a genie, God, or even Barbara Eden, most of us would ask for a house in the Hamptons, the winning numbers for the Powerball, or an age-defying serum of some sort. Wisdom would…