The Book of Proverbs says, “Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.”
In his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul tells us to “Keep careful watch over your conduct. Do not act like fools, but like thoughtful men. — Do not continue in ignorance, but try to discern the will of the Lord.”
Socrates said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
The apostle James in his letter said, “If any of you is without wisdom, let him ask it from the God who gives generously and ungrudgingly to all, and it will be given him.”
In our daily lives, we usually conduct our affairs seemingly oblivious to the will of God for our lives. It is only when we are confronted by problems and or troubles that we turn to God and ask, “What is going on? Why did this happen? What did I do to deserve this? What do you want me to do now?” At times like that, we feel lost and alone. But Scripture tells us that we are never alone. God is always with us; a very part of us. And when we lack understanding and turn to the Lord for direction, He reveals His wisdom, His will and His love. Sometimes in the most remarkable way.
Recently I was walking on a beach with my wife and my daughter. As we walked, we were discussing some of the recent events that have taken place in our lives, and were trying to discern the will of God in the midst of all that has been happening. While we walked along, we came upon a lady who happened to be walking in the opposite direction. She was carrying a very cute little dog in her arms. We struck up a conversation with her and she said that she had obtained her canine companion from a rescue shelter. She told us the story of how she met this cute little dog, and as she did, the little dog just laid there in her arms, looking very contented.
Obviously she had no way of knowing the topic of our private family conversation, but as she finished talking about the little dog, she began to say things that directly addressed every issue we had been discussing. We were amazed, and the three of us were spellbound by her wisdom.
She said, “When the burdens of life seem to be more than we can bare. When evil events in life seem overpowering. When the future looks fearful and uncertain. It is at those times that God is telling us not to fear, but rather to trust Him. We might not have all the answers. We might not always have all that we want, but our Heavenly Father will always lead and guide us and He will always provide us with all that we need. Jesus said that we are not to worry. Our Heavenly Father gives life and breath to all living things. Not even a single sparrow falls to the ground without our Father’s consent. Therefore, we are to live by faith.”
She went on to say that, “God created each and every one of us. When we were created, each one of us were allotted a certain number of days. We must not live in fear and we must not allow the devil to rob us of a single one of those days. When evil or tragedy threatens either you or a loved one, trust in God, pray to Him and He will protect you from that evil thief. Pray and have confidence in our Heavenly Father’s will for your lives, and have faith in the prayer that our Lord gave us, ‘Thy will be done.’”
She also said, “By our baptism, we carry the spirit of God within us at all times. God is a part of us. But He created us with a free will. We are free to make our own choices and our own decisions in life. Therefore, since we know that He is with us always, we should be very careful about where we go and where we take Him. We should not be taking Him to places that we know He would not want to go. Remember, whatever you do and wherever you go, always keep it holy.”
She even said, “I can sense that you are having trouble with your feet. People who are diabetic, or are borderline diabetic, frequently suffer with foot problems. Try using Gold Bond Diabetic lotion and Neosporin together on your feet. That will give your feet some relief. And your feet are undoubtedly experiencing irritation from the seams in your socks. Turn your socks inside out when you put them on. That will put the seam on the outside. And remember, the problem with your diet is not sugar. That is easy to avoid. The problem is carbohydrates. Learn to read labels and limit yourself to 60 carbs per meal. And when you think that your sugar level is getting too high – exercise. That will help to burn up some of the extra sugar in your blood. Also remember, when it comes to food, if it’s white it’s not right. Also learn to associate the word glucose with the word glue. Glucose makes your blood thick or sticky. The higher the sugar level gets in your blood, the stickier your blood becomes. A high glucose level makes your heart work harder, since it then has to pump your blood when it is thick and sticky.”
She then said, “When you go to the doctor, tell him everything that’s wrong with you. You can fix the roof, but that won’t help if the floor needs repair. If you are seeing the doctor because you are experiencing headaches, also let him know that your feet hurt.”
And lastly she said, “Simplify your life.”
We had never met that woman before, we do not know where she is from and we do not know her name. All three of us forgot to ask such questions. But the three of us felt very blessed by that conversation. God hears our prayers and He reveals His wisdom, His will and His love to us, if we but listen.