Heed the Voice of Wisdom & Well-Being

"My child, be attentive to my words;
   incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them escape from your sight;
   keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
   and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
   for from it flow the springs of life."
(Proverbs 4:20-23 NRSV)

Whose words are we listening to? Whose report is gaining the bulk of our attention? The answer to that question constitutes the direction in which we gravitate toward in life. The information that we give the most attention to and internalize the deepest will be the direction in which our hearts, minds and lives move.

This whole chapter is a call to invite Wisdom into our lives, and then to heed the Voice of Wisdom. As we are all the children of a loving God, we are admonished to be watchful with what voice we are listening to. Even our concepts of God must be checked, and we must live into the reality of God's ever-abiding love, if we are to viscerally experience the qualities of God's loving nature.

The voice of fear and calamity cries out loudly in the world around us. Yet, there is a parallel reality that contains the Voice of Wisdom and well-being that we can also heed. It is our choice which voice we give greater attention to. In every moment, that choice of what voice we give attention to, is a deposit into the depths of our hearts. And we know from this passage, that what springs forth into our lives is oftentimes an overflow of what has been deposited in our hearts, either consciously or unconsciously.

Our job is to incline our ears to the good news (gospel) and instruction that the Voice of Wisdom carries. The Spirit of Wisdom is an attribute of Godself and we have access to this Wisdom even as we open ourselves to it spiritually and genuinely ask to be guided by the Voice of Wisdom.

In every moment we have the opportunity to say, "God, guide me by the steady Voice of Your Wisdom". This is one way we keep our hearts vigilantly, tending to the garden of our inner selves and keeping out the weeds of fear. Yes, it's very natural to be affected by the bad news around us; but when we understand that our hearts are the springs of our lives, we can be more intentional about giving greater attention to the Voice that eases our worries and redirects our ponderings.  

There is also a physical benefit to heeding this Voice. Life-giving words and beliefs cause stress levels to be altered and lessened, opening the pathway for the body to heal itself. This is a part of the benefit of continually redirecting our focus on the Good, the Voice of Wisdom and well-being.

Say with me today, "I am guided by the steady Voice of God's Wisdom and I hold THESE words dear in my heart."

~Jason Powell

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