Parents, our children are not seeking wisdom like its gold.
The Power of Wisdom in a Seeking Generation
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.Proverbs 3:13–18 NIV
Parents, our world is ever changing.
I reflect often on the pace at which our world continually seems to quicken. Every week, I spend time at our local assisted living facility. It is a grounding part of my week. Every week, I am reminded that a slow, steady pace is my goal (ultimately it will become my reality regardless.) The slow pace of their world is embodied in the simple peace that many of them have come to accept. [A pastoral note: As many pastors and spiritual leaders before me have encouraged, I recommend every follower of Jesus to engage with the elder. Their wisdom, pace, and presence is an always giving fountain to those of us still blessed with youth.]
In our fast paced world, kids are constantly seeking out new things.
I remember as a kid, my favorite thing to do was play my gamecube and Wii with my brother, Torrance. Some of our earliest and best memories were packing up our games on road trips or vacations. I wish I had pictures, but we would pack our gamecube into an actual suitcase—with our other belongings—and travel with it.
15 or so years ago, my family went to visit my cousin in Iowa. He had a new game called Dungeon Hunter: Alliance. It was a fantasy, action RPG. You would fight monsters and collect gold in order level up your gear, weapons, and abilities.
Potions were essential to stay alive in the boss fights, but gold was king to buy what you needed.
We spent hours seeking out gold in order to buy better swords, staffs, and armor.
Kids today may not play Dungeon Hunters, but they are not different than us.
We are seeking things constantly.
Kids today are seeking: acceptance, fame, pleasure, freedom, and yes money…
Most kids are not yet able to priority or evaluate what things are most important in their lives yet. Like my son, what he sees in the current moment is what he wants most. Kids have little ability to think beyond what they currently desire.
Sadly, our culture is not presenting wisdom (godly thoughts and decisions informed by Jesus) as something for kids today to desire.
Many kids today are seeking anything but wisdom because our world says our own pleasure, success, and safety are the only important things in our lives.
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
That is not what the proverbial father passes down to his son in Proverbs 3.
Think about the magnitude of this statement.
Seeking wisdom is better than seeking gold…
That idea is so foreign to us in our modern western world. What about the American Dream, going from rags to riches?
The proverbial father thinks that there needs to be a change in the desires of our heart. This is incredibly challenging. Money is at the center of our lives; it is essential for our survival.
I have one simply encouragement to alleviate any challenge…
This encouragement is wisdom embodied in the words of Jesus:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us today our daily bread.
Matthew 6:9–11
We need not seek gold more than wisdom because Jesus will provide our daily bread for those who are wise enough to submit to him.
When we seek wisdom, we find Jesus.
This is something our children desperately need to understand. I know it will be a challenge. It is a daily submission of our natural desires for the things of God.
The father is right though—the return we get with wisdom is life and peace (confer Rom 8:6). When we seek wisdom, we gain far more than money ever could grant us. Money may grant security, but wisdom grants us true life.
I encourage you to start seeking wisdom, as though it was free money. Imagine if we went crazy for wisdom. People go crazy for free things—and rare Pokemon.
We need not seek gold more than wisdom because Jesus will provide our daily bread for those who are wise enough to submit to him.
Here are some abstract ideas to think about:
Before your child is able to get a job, have you taught them the wisdom behind getting a job? Or do you just want them to make their own money? Maybe they should focus on wisdom instead of being fixated on getting a job. for teens, the job means their own money. Can you show them early what is more valuable?
What does your child actually read? Does your child actually read? Leaders are readers.
Do they (we) learn from the past? What are they learning from those before us? Biographies are great.
What does wisdom look like for your kids at their age?