Are You Pursuing Wisdom or Just Chasing Wind?

Charles Spurgeon: "Wisdom is man's true strength; and, under its guidance, he best accomplishes the ends of his being. Wisely handling the matter of life, gives to man the richest enjoyment, and presents the noblest occupation for his powers; hence by it he finds good in the fullest sense. Without wisdom, man is as the wild ass's colt, running hither and thither, wasting strength which might be profitably employed. Wisdom is the compass by which man is to steer across the trackless waste of life; without it he is a derelict vessel, the sport of winds and waves A man must be prudent in such a world as this, or he will find no good, but be betrayed into unnumbered ills."

A friend of mine sent me this and it struck a chord with me.  Not just that I could quote a guy saying wild ass's colt, but that this picture resonates so well with me.  Think about this for a minute.  It is not just the colt that is wild, his parents are as well.  So there is not just one level of wildness, but inherited, taught and modeled behavior.  Not only this, but the colt has no idea he is wild.  He is just following the wind, and wasting a lot of energy on nothing productive.

So the questions naturally arise.  Do you know what you are doing, or are you just running around wasting energy? Are you so trained and taught to be a certain way that you don't even know what wisdom looks like?  Well, now is the time to break out of that rut and become something more.  Can you recognize wisdom when you see it?  Who is around you that you can ask for guidance?  Do you need to be broken in order to submit to learning's that will change you for the better?  Are you willing?

I really like this message about wisdom from Dr. Spurgeon.  He gets right to the point.  You need to seek wisdom, be prudent and be guided by it, then you will enjoy life to the fullest.  Wisdom is not as restricting as we all may think.  Yes, it may keep us from uttering the redneck's last words - "Hey, watch this!" but even more so, it can help us do the things that bring value to the world.

I learned recently that most cattle ranchers around here buy a donkey and put them out in the field with their other animals.  The donkey just minds his own business until a coyote comes into the field, at which point the donkey becomes a killing machine, using its powerful kick to destroy the predator.

When your coyotes come will you be an ass kicker, or just be a colt running around?  Sorry for the off color comment, but couldn't resist.  I still have some colt in me I am working out!