asking.” James 1:5 NLT
One of the joys of parenting is being able to pass your wisdom on to your children.
I learned how to preserve foods from my mother-in-law soon after I married my hubby. Over the years, I've canned lots of peaches, tomatoes and green beans along with lots of other foods.
In the beginning, I was the one calling her on the phone to ask for her recipes, or instructions on everyday problems which I encountered in the kitchen. Of course, she offered a lot of other advice too - some that I asked for and some I didn't LOL!
Often I rejected the unsolicited advice, even getting angry because I felt inferior. "She must think I'm not a good enough wife to her son or a good enough mom to her grandchildren."
But over time, I saw the things she struggled with. I learned why she gave the advice she did as I learned to know her as a person. The more I knew and understood her, the more I valued the advice she gave. Her wisdom worked.
Now I find myself in that role, passing advice about cooking, canning, child-rearing and all sorts of things on to my own daughters. My grand daughter even asks me for advice about writing. It's exciting and a bit humbling to think they value my advice.
As our heavenly parent, God must feel elated when we come to him asking for his wisdom about anything and everything. He's eager to share it with us and pleased that we value his answers. But he also knows we won't become wise over night.
Wisdom develops slowly as we get to know our heavenly Father. We observe the things he does; we ask him questions , listen to his answers and obey what he tells us. Over time we draw close to him and understand why he says what he says.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible explains it like this: Moses knew God's ways while the children of Israel knew his acts.
When we ask God for wisdom, we're not just asking for answers to our problems, we're seeking him, drawing close to him and getting to know his heart. No wonder that makes him happy!
