the way to wisdom
the joy of a small book of quotes
the way to wisdom
During January, I preached a three-week series looking at Proverbs 1. In just that chapter, we saw the wisdom of kings, the purpose of wisdom, the importance of teaching our children well, and seeking wisdom before it’s too late.
I mention this because along with trying to maintain a practice of meditating on Scripture (a practice which has taken a beating in the last week because of illness and taxes), I have started to compile a collection of wisdom to bring along with me wherever I go.
One day, because my Youtube algorithm is a mixture of Korean variety shows and stationery vloggers, a video showed up in my feed that immediately resonated with me.
Parker Settecase is a graduate philosophy student and we went to the same church for a while before I went into missions in the UK.
He maintains the truest definition of philosophy in fostering a love (philo) of wisdom (sophia).
Since watching that video, I bought a small notebook and have started to carry it with me. I write down Bible verses and quotes from books. It was used to collect a small number of quotes I found about wisdom.
Like this:
The glory of modern people is that they do really feel. Their only danger is that they cannot think. (GK Chesterton)
And this:
To search for wisdom apart from Christ means not simply foolhardiness but utter insanity. (John Calvin)
And this one:
The next best thing to being wise is to live in a circle of those who are. (CS Lewis)
Why do I want to do this though? Why do I want to compile a book of quotes and bits of Scripture? Because writing them down like this helps me to remember them better.
As much as I do love being able to have all of my notes stored in one place where they can be searched and linked together, there’s something about having a small book with me that I can thumb through that feels special. I’ve set up a John Locke-style index in the back just because I know I’ll need some kind of organisation for when it gets a bit more full and I want to find something specific.
But in the mean time, I have a place where I can quickly find Isaiah 26:3 during times of stress.
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (ESV)
And by maintaining a right fear of the Lord, knowledge and wisdom will come as I make my way through life.