Good afternoon! It is raining and thundering. I am out on the porch enjoying the nice, peaceful sound of the rain... of the occasional thunder.... dripping from the drain pipes... and enjoying a nice breeze from the fan above. It's been a bit of a backwards day, but nonetheless a great one! The boy is sleeping!! He woke up at 8:00 this morning so we could go have breakfast with my mom, dad & niece Kassidy, and then see them off. :-("""" It was sad to see them go, but such a blessing to have them here! They drove ALL the way from INDIANA to babysit the boy for the weekend while Tyler and I went to a leadership conference. Wow! Is that servanthood, or what!?!?! What a blessing!
Ok... well, while I have this window of time, let's get rollin.....
First of all, we have the prudent. The prudent are more rare and harder to come by. Many lessons of prudence I have learned over the years, not even knowing that it was prudence, I have learned from my dad. Wow... what an intelligent man about the Word. I have always thought he was SO smart! He knows so much about so many things... but especially when it comes to the Bible, he knows scriptural references when you ask him about a topic, he has studied the Greek & Hebrew, he knows the history behind the verse- what happened and why the verse is in a certain context. He really is a pretty brilliant man. I have often thought, TELL US DAD! Or, I may have overheard bits of a conversation, and thought.... just ask my dad! Hey Mister! Stop talking, ask my dad! I KNOW he KNOWS the answer. But, there he would be, standing by quietly, not wanting to "overstep" his bounds, or "sound like" a know-it-all..... even though, all the while, he did know the answer. I also think the same about my husband... how smart he is about Biblical matters. Knowing the background, the history, why things formed up the way they did with a certain story.... and with my dad or husband, I often just sit there in a WOW mode.
Then, you have the fool. The person who stands there talking about themselves the WHOLE conversation. ME! ME! ME! They have a case of the "ME-MONSTER DISEASE". I see this often. The fool. The person that you just think, "PLEASE STOP TALKING! We're standing in amidst of greatness and you are blabbing your mouth! Be quiet for a second so we can ask a question!" The prudent person will OFTEN not speak up if they are not asked a question. The prudent person, with all their wisdom, will often sit quietly and allow others to talk. SO, it takes the HUNGRY, those who can recognize it, who realize who is in the room and decide they want to glean from this prudent man or woman. It takes this person, the one HUNGRY for knowledge & growth to speak up, change the conversation; take the opportunity when "the fool" takes a breath, break in to ask this WISE, PRUDENT person a question. Get them talking. Glean from their knowledge, from their years of study.
I heard a story of a very popular minister being amidst other ministers, great men of God, and great political leaders. This minister sat in silence as the meeting and discussion was going on. He did not pipe in "with all his knowledge" and want to be "heard." He did not seek to be the "first to speak", to control the conversation, to make sure the last word was his. He did not sell his thoughts or opinions, but sat, quietly and listened. Later, when the meeting was coming to a close, some of the "greats" asked him what his thoughts were. He was quiet for so long, others were seeking him out, craving, asking him to share his thoughts and opinions. Because of his great silence, because of his prudence, his words held great weight. His words held power.
Who are you? Are you:
Are you are the Hungry? Kudo's to you! You are seeking out the knowledge, you are drawing out the prudent you are wise in seeking wisdom. Before long, you will be sought out. People will want to know what you think. But continue in your season of preparation. Seek out. Ask questions. Read books. Listen more than you talk.
Are you the Prudent? You obviously are walking in wisdom. You have walked as the Hungry. But now, people do want to know what you know. Continue to broaden your circle of influence. The world needs the prudent. God wants to raise you up so that your words do fall on important ears. Your words hold power because you are wise. You are slow to speak and you are a studier, a student. Continue to study. Continue to broaden your knowledge. Preparing yourself for the platform that you may one day be lifted too. With leadership comes great responsibility. You are preparing yourself for responsibility. Continue to seek out and ask questions. Continue to be Hungry. Continue to listen. The world needs Prudent Men & Women of God to be raised up. To be lifted. We need people like you!
Ok... well, while I have this window of time, let's get rollin.....
Proverbs 12:23 - A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.
Proverbs 31:16- She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.
Bonus: Proverbs 19:14 - Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.In my Bible, I have had this verse, Proverbs 12:23 underlined for awhile. Also, in the margin I have written "DAD". As we have discussed before... the word prudent may not be one that many people use very much, or even know the meaning of, so I looked it up. Prudent: Wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment or common sense. Careful in regard to one's own interests; provident. Careful about one's conduct. Synonyms: sensible, economical, thrifty, frugal.
First of all, we have the prudent. The prudent are more rare and harder to come by. Many lessons of prudence I have learned over the years, not even knowing that it was prudence, I have learned from my dad. Wow... what an intelligent man about the Word. I have always thought he was SO smart! He knows so much about so many things... but especially when it comes to the Bible, he knows scriptural references when you ask him about a topic, he has studied the Greek & Hebrew, he knows the history behind the verse- what happened and why the verse is in a certain context. He really is a pretty brilliant man. I have often thought, TELL US DAD! Or, I may have overheard bits of a conversation, and thought.... just ask my dad! Hey Mister! Stop talking, ask my dad! I KNOW he KNOWS the answer. But, there he would be, standing by quietly, not wanting to "overstep" his bounds, or "sound like" a know-it-all..... even though, all the while, he did know the answer. I also think the same about my husband... how smart he is about Biblical matters. Knowing the background, the history, why things formed up the way they did with a certain story.... and with my dad or husband, I often just sit there in a WOW mode.
Then, you have the fool. The person who stands there talking about themselves the WHOLE conversation. ME! ME! ME! They have a case of the "ME-MONSTER DISEASE". I see this often. The fool. The person that you just think, "PLEASE STOP TALKING! We're standing in amidst of greatness and you are blabbing your mouth! Be quiet for a second so we can ask a question!" The prudent person will OFTEN not speak up if they are not asked a question. The prudent person, with all their wisdom, will often sit quietly and allow others to talk. SO, it takes the HUNGRY, those who can recognize it, who realize who is in the room and decide they want to glean from this prudent man or woman. It takes this person, the one HUNGRY for knowledge & growth to speak up, change the conversation; take the opportunity when "the fool" takes a breath, break in to ask this WISE, PRUDENT person a question. Get them talking. Glean from their knowledge, from their years of study.
I heard a story of a very popular minister being amidst other ministers, great men of God, and great political leaders. This minister sat in silence as the meeting and discussion was going on. He did not pipe in "with all his knowledge" and want to be "heard." He did not seek to be the "first to speak", to control the conversation, to make sure the last word was his. He did not sell his thoughts or opinions, but sat, quietly and listened. Later, when the meeting was coming to a close, some of the "greats" asked him what his thoughts were. He was quiet for so long, others were seeking him out, craving, asking him to share his thoughts and opinions. Because of his great silence, because of his prudence, his words held great weight. His words held power.
Who are you? Are you:
The Fool? The Hungry? The Prudent?Are you the Fool? Take a few words of advise.... when in a conversation, listen. Are you standing there while the other person's mouth is moving and that is all you see? All the while you watch their lips move and you are thinking, "As soon as you quit talking, this is what I'm going to say..." Do you not hear a word they say because all you are interested in is yourself? Hearing yourself talk? Hearing yourself think? You are only interested in telling them what you know? When you talk, you learn little. When you listen to great people talk, you have the opportunity to learn great things that can change your life and move you to the next level. Learn to not talk, but to listen. Move to being the Hungry.
Are you are the Hungry? Kudo's to you! You are seeking out the knowledge, you are drawing out the prudent you are wise in seeking wisdom. Before long, you will be sought out. People will want to know what you think. But continue in your season of preparation. Seek out. Ask questions. Read books. Listen more than you talk.
Are you the Prudent? You obviously are walking in wisdom. You have walked as the Hungry. But now, people do want to know what you know. Continue to broaden your circle of influence. The world needs the prudent. God wants to raise you up so that your words do fall on important ears. Your words hold power because you are wise. You are slow to speak and you are a studier, a student. Continue to study. Continue to broaden your knowledge. Preparing yourself for the platform that you may one day be lifted too. With leadership comes great responsibility. You are preparing yourself for responsibility. Continue to seek out and ask questions. Continue to be Hungry. Continue to listen. The world needs Prudent Men & Women of God to be raised up. To be lifted. We need people like you!
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