Wisdom

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Proverbs 2:1-8 NIV

One of the worst things about starting out this journey out of debt was being so hopelessly without idea of where to begin. I knew I was drowning and I knew I needed to do something but I sure couldn't figure out where to begin. And I felt so guilty...I knew that being a slave to the lender was not quite the life God had for me. And I wanted to hide that we were in trouble, hide that I'd made so many bad choices in a row. Generally just hide!

In time I realized that hiding from God is not something anyone can do. He knows every last little detail of my life. What I also realized is that God holds all the wisdom of all the ages of all the worlds and all the universes. If anyone could guide me on my search for the wisdom to get out of debt it would be God!

The verses above say to search for wisdom. God won't usually just plop all the knowledge we need and the directions to use the knowledge in our laps. We are to turn our ear, apply our heart, call out, cry aloud, look for it, search for it. That's a lot of effort on our parts. And yet in the end, the wisdom we find is from the Lord. The search is in His hands.

I remember I'd been searching and looking and calling out for wisdom concerning our finances. I was nervous that God might want to punish me for making so many bad decisions and that I would never figure out how to escape the load of debt I'd gotten into. One day my husband & I were out and about and came across our local library. We went in to look around, then split up so I could look for my type of books and he of his. I was walking through the aisles and suddenly had a very loud thought, "does the library have books about money?" I suddenly found a purpose in my aimless wanderings...find a book about money! That day I picked up the "Debt Proof Living" book by Mary Hunt. That book became the catalyst for our journey. God provided wisdom at just the right moment and in just the right amount.

I still have a long road ahead but I trust that if I seek God will provide. And that gives me comfort.