Who is wise and understanding among you?

James 3:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Reflection: 

Wisdom and understanding are dramatically different from knowledge. A trained doctor may know medical theory backwards and forwards and still make unwise choices regarding her own self care. And somebody with less than a high school education in the backwoods may exhibit profound wisdom and understanding about what works best to assure safety and health.

Sometimes intellectual sophistication hinders harmony. Our minds may be teeming with information that establishes us in a particular viewpoint or camp.   However minds that rely solely upon what is imparted by the world may be subject to distortion.  If the mind fixates upon information that confirms what it already thinks it knows, it is turning its back upon the vast store of mysterious wisdom offered by God.  The feeling of mental distortion becomes disturbing, and then out of fear of being “wrong” we may work more frantically to reestablish ourselves in a secure place of being “right”.

We do well to put a halt to the ambition that we alone know what is true or valid.  Wisdom encourages us to always be looking beyond what we readily see.  We can reach beyond ourselves and gaze both outward to discover more and inward to see what is being revealed.  This wisdom is bestowed  not only for ourselves but also for the good of others.

Wisdom dissolves differences. It generates humility and gentleness. Wisdom is known by its calm presence which can yield to what is essential and true. Peace flows from wisdom and understanding, which is given to us from the Lord Above!