Are you a SEEKER??

One message that is being drilled in me from many angles right now is to “be a seeker.” When I hear something once, I listen. If I hear it a few times, it catches my attention. When I hear something over and over from many people whom I greatly respect, you better believe I’m going to act on it.

Between our leaders in AdvoCare, to our Sunday school teachers, to reading it in The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands, the concept of seeking wisdom is being brought to my attention over and over. Andy Andrews also shared it in The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success. It’s the second of the seven decisions.

The Bible tells us in James 1:15 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

I think the first step here is realizing we don’t know as much as we think. That is called humility. There is ALWAYS room for growth, so the way I started was by identifying the areas that are most important in my life and some areas where I would like to grow. I know they are different for everyone, but here are some of the areas that are on my priority list:

1. Faith (my personal walk with the Lord)
2. Being a godly wife & mom
3. Family & Friends (relationships with others)
4. Fitness/Health/Wellness
5. Finances

I decided to look for others who have fruits on the tree in these areas and start picking their brain and asking for resources that have helped them. I seek their mentorship through conversation, asking a lot of good questions, observing what I see them do & mimicking that, reading, and fervently PRAYING. I have my own personal mentors & some resources I love in each of these areas and it has made such a difference in my life. I am NOT the same person I was even 6 months ago, and I pray in 6 more months, I’ll be able to say the same thing. I do not want to become complacent, and the best way I know to strive to improve myself is through “being a seeker.”

There is no shortage of wisdom available to us, but many times we aren’t making the choice to seek it until it’s too late or some damage has been done. The best time to seek wisdom is NOW.

Wouldn’t you agree…

It’s much wiser to go to a marriage conference before there are issues than go to a marriage counselor after the issues arrive?

It’s much wiser to study the Word about what God expects from us ladies as a wife and mom rather than listening to the world & have a failing marriage or wayward children?

It’s much wiser to invest in your health now than pay through medicine, illness, or disease down the road?

It’s much wiser to spend time educating yourself on financial matters now than to look up years from now and not like where you are and wonder where your money went?

I’m not the smartest gal you’re going to meet, but I do believe in common sense. And to me, it’s just WAY more logical to focus more on preventative measures than solutions to problems that could have been prevented in the first place.

The problem is, we live in a society that would rather be entertained. People would rather watch t.v. shows or play games that add ZERO value to their life than spend time learning.

As The Best Yes says, “we’ve got to train our wisdom muscles to be strong and capable so when we need them most, we’ll know how to use wisdom” (p. 108).

We have to seek wisdom. Proverbs 2:1-11 says…

My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
² making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
³ yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
⁴ if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷ he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
⁸ guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
¹⁰ for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹ discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you.

If you think about your dream life…your dream job, family, ministry, health, relationships, etc., WHAT are you doing today to help you get closer to making those a reality? If nothing changes, nothing changes. If you don’t do anything differently than you’ve been doing, how can you expect to get different results? The only way for something to change is to change our actions. The only way to change our actions is to change our thinking. And the only way to change our thinking is to change what we are allowing into our mind. We have to actively seek wisdom and practice it.

Andy Stanley says this in  The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be :

“The direction you are currently traveling- relationally, financially, spiritually, and the list goes on- will determine where you end up in each of those respective arenas. That is true regardless of your goals, your dreams, your wishes, or your wants. The principle of the path trumps all of those things.

Your current direction will determine your destination. And like every principle, you can leverage this one to your advantage or ignore it to your disadvantage. Just as there are paths that have led us to places we never intended to be, there are paths that have lead us away from those places as well.”

Proverbs 27:12 tells us that “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” Andy Stanley breaks that down so well.

“The implication here is that a prudent man or woman understands that all of life is connected. He is aware of the cause-and-effect relationship between what he chooses today and what he experiences tomorrow…Consequently, prudent people look as far down the road as possible when making decisions. Every decision. After all, they understand that today and tomorrow are connected. As the author of Proverbs states, they stand on the lookout for signs and trouble up ahead..They ask what I refer to as the best question ever: “In light of my past experience, and my future hopes and dreams, what’s the wise thing to do?” The prudent draw upon the wealth of data that life has already provided them and then take the appropriate action when they see danger ahead.”

I have found that the more I focus on growing and seeking wisdom, the more aware I become of my own weaknesses, and the more I thirst for knowledge and the Lord’s help to strengthen those areas. Memorizing Scripture has personally been another great tool for me in this area. I can’t think of anything more powerful than drawing on the truth of God’s Word to help me.

**Are you a seeker? What are you doing on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis to seek wisdom? Where & from whom are you seeking wisdom??