Wisdom Speaks
Wisdom indeed speaks.
Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?
She takes her stand on top of the high hill, beside that way, where the paths meet. She cries out by the gates of the city, at the entrance of the doors. “To you all, I cry, and my voice is to all mankind. Listen, for I speak excellent things, and from my mouth will come right things, for my mouth will speak the truth.”
Wisdom is personified in the book of Proverbs, chapter 8, “Receive my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than fine gold, for wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.”
“I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning before there was ever and earth… Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
“Blessed is the one who listens to wisdom, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the doorposts. For whoever finds me, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.”
I find it interesting that Wisdom is on a hill and next to the gate to the city. Jesus said He is the gate and Heaven is often referred to as a city. So, if wisdom is near the gate to the city, it follows that if we seek wisdom, we will find the gate, the gate that leads to life.
Navigating with Wisdom
Throughout the journey of my life, I have had moments of decision, just as you have. Some seem insignificant and some overwhelming, but all shift the trajectory of our lives. Even small changes in direction have huge impact in time. A slight change in the angle, when stretched out for miles will have a radically different destination.
Friends and family have heard me call those times of decision, “Hinge moments.” Recently, when I was preparing a speech for a pregnancy center, I was pondering chapter 8 of the book of Proverbs.
The image of the hinge took on new meaning. A hinge has three main parts. One side attaches to the gate, one to the structure and the pin that holds them together and provides the resource to allow movement.
One side of a hinge is attached to a solid structure, the other to a door or gate. If Jesus is the gate, or the door that leads to life, then the one side of a hinge could be attached in this world to an entity like a church or non-governmental organization or humanitarian service. The pin that allows movement would be the people who provide the resources: the time, energy, money, venue(s), expertise, or material needs to the community. I would call them PIN People
People with Wisdom
I am usually asked to share the story of my life with the audience because the organizations I raise money for are providing life saving resources for girls like me. I compose every talk to meet the goals of my hosts. I’m there for them and for their audience, as well as for future clients. It’s not about me.
During a recent trip, I realized that we use GPS to track our travel. We often drop a pin to mark the path, find our car, or just let others know where we’ve been. When I was young, we would pin the route on an actual paper map!
So, that led me to think of the people who marked the change in trajectory in my life. There were people who injected the resources of strength, guidance, material support, emotional or mental fortitude along the journey of life. They could be called PIN People. The people with wisdom are special people.
I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find the words that would fill out an acronym. I was stumped. So, I did my talk and recommended my host as a worthy and competent hinge to partner with and encouraged the audience members to be the pin in their work.
When I got down from the stage, a sweet woman handed me a card with the words: People Investing Now -my acronym was fulfilled.
PIN Wisdom
Whether you need people to come along side of you so that you can do the work of leading others to the door that leads to life or you are in a position to be the PIN, think about how you have had PIN People in your life, but also how you can be the PIN in the lives of others.
There is no time when we suffer more than when we are focused on ourselves. We should make a habit of looking outside of ourselves at our life’s impact.
In what ways can you be a PIN?
How can you thank the PINs that have invested in you?