Growing up in the era of analog timepieces, I was fascinated by my grandfather’s pocket watches. The rhythmic tick and the steady movement of the second hand that somehow seemed connected to the slow movement of the minute hand puzzled me, so when his watch wore out, and he needed a new one, he gave me the old watch to “play with.”
Screwdriver in hand, I set out to unpack the mysteries of watch-wisdom. I pried off the metal shield that protected the delicate inner workings and set to work. The result? A collection of gears and springs of various sizes that appeared to have nothing in common with each other. I had set out to seek answers, but by dismantling the watch, I had come no closer to understanding its beguiling ways.
Sadly, many of our attempts at seeking biblical wisdom are a lot like four-year-old Michele with a screwdriver! When Solomon advised his son, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore, get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding,” he had in mind a level of insight that would lead to maturity and godly living. We could argue that Solomon’s life trajectory fell short of his own advice, which has led me to interrogate some of the false paths to wisdom and dangerous myths about wisdom I’m noticing in present-day culture:
Myth #1: Wisdom involves thinking lofty (and complicated) thoughts about God.
The truth is that real theologians and Bible teachers don’t want to make God more complicated but less. They clarify and illuminate. Their work is not unlike weeding a garden—if you’ve done your job well, all that’s left in the row when you’re done is the thing that belongs there.
I’ve recently bumped into the concept of doing theology in the second person instead of the third person. Instead of using what we know about God to talk about God, it changes everything when we do theology with God by talking to God. This subtle adjustment in perspective shifts my focus away from data points and toward relationship—which is the whole point of our wrestling with the truth.
The goal of wisdom is not primarily to think deep thoughts about God but to help us become better pray-ers to and better live-ers before the God who is revealed in scripture. 1
The goal of wisdom is not primarily to think deep thoughts about God but to help us become better pray-ers to and better live-ers before the God who is revealed in scripture.
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Myth #2: Wisdom is a matter of expertise.
When each of my four sons was married, my role at the wedding was very simple. The Mother-of-the-Groom has one job: show up and shut up. My kids didn’t need my expert opinion on the ceremony or the flowers; they didn’t need my emotional baggage about how this wedding was going to change our family forever, and they certainly did not need my unsolicited advice. My job was to be there, to actively enjoy the prospect of their new life—and to make lasagna when needed.
As a culture, we need more quiet faithfulness and fewer expert testimonials. We’ve adopted the habit of sending out for an expert every time we need some assistance when wisdom is not always a matter of expertise. Sometimes, the most mature and reliable Christian guidance comes from watching a life of quiet obedience, poured out one act of faithfulness at a time. “Measure a wise life by the imprint they make on others.”2
As a culture, we need more quiet faithfulness and fewer expert testimonials. “Measure a wise life by the imprint they make on others.” ~ @kristatippett
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Myth #3: Wisdom requires an intimate knowledge of all the parts and pieces of a thing.
Christianity requires an acceptance of mystery and paradox. Jesus was both God and man in his time on this planet. God is sovereign, and humans are responsible for their choices. Any attempt to mitigate the paradox results in heresy. G.K. Chesterton said it clearly: “Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites, by keeping them both, and keeping them both furious.”3
As a little girl, I was convinced that I could solve the mystery of the pocket watch with a screwdriver. When someone takes a screwdriver to her faith and then, finding it broken, rejects it, I can’t help but wonder if she knew what she was rejecting in the first place. Gandalf the Grey, said this well: “…he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.” 4
The more we know about God, the more we will love him.
The more we understand about the world, the larger God will become in our eyes.
The call of wisdom is, ultimately, a call to worship.
What’s working for you in your quest to “get wisdom?”
My thinking about wisdom is being challenged by my reading lately, so be sure to check out the footnotes below for some excellent resources.
Thank you for accompanying me on this year-long deep dive into the meaning and purpose of wisdom. You can see all my Get Wisdom posts for 2025 here!
The more we know about God, the more we will love him. The more we understand about the world, the larger God will become in our eyes. The call of wisdom is, ultimately, a call to worship.
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Holding You in the Light,
- This concept was suggested in my reading of The Wisdom of Each Other by Eugene Peterson. ↩︎
- Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living, Krista Tippett ↩︎
- Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton ↩︎
- The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein ↩︎
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So true! Profound truth is amazingly not intellectual and usually very simple. I’ve known, in my lifetime, not a few folks who are super smart (educated and credentialed) and yet not one wit wise.
One thing I can say for sure I know, the more I learn the more I know there is to learn. Even Jesus told His disciples that there were things He could tell them but they would not understand. I suspect He was also sparing them some sorrow too.
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Ecclesiastes 1:18
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Yes, there’s so much, and I have a feeling that we’ll be spending time after this life is over still learning and marveling at God’s excellence.
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LOVE this, Michele. These are solid truth and wisdom statements!
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I’m chasing wisdom this year, and I hope it becomes a solid habit!
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Thank you for the scripture reminders of Solomon and how easily one can be led astray.
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His story is definitely a cautionary tale!
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A verse that came to mind as I read your post was 1 Corinthians 1:30: “because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” That reinforces what you said about shifting our focus from data points to relationship. We read the written Word to know the living Word better.
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Great point! Thanks for coming to the discussion with scripture, Barbara!
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Michele, this post had me thinking today 🙂 This >> When Solomon advised his son to get wisdom, to get understanding. “he had in mind a level of insight that would lead to maturity and godly living.” That is it in a nutshell. Wisdom and understanding will grow our faith, bring mature thinking, and result in godly living. Praying I grow in wisdom and understanding and therefore, live a godly life. Excellent post!
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That’s good thinking and a definite connection between the two. Thanks so much for reading!
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I’m smiling as I imagine you as a young girl opening up your grandfather’s pocket watch. I’ve had similar experiences as a grown adult when I open up something to fix it, only to realize that I’m in way over my head. 🙂 I’m glad that getting wisdom needn’t be so complicated.
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It’s important for us to trust the “Watch Maker!”
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