Proverbs 10:8 The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.
A couple of years ago I saw a phrase painted on the wall of a toy shop during one of our family vacations in the mountains of Colorado near a little mountain town called Salida. It’s one of our favorite destinations, partly because my dad and sister live up there, but also because we love the mountains. If we go in the winter, you’ll find us at the ski resort zooming down the mountain. If we go in the summer time, you’ll find us on the river braving the white water rapids. And that’s not to mention the sheer beauty of the mountains themselves.
Each time we vacation in Salida, amidst all the other activities, we always plan a day to spend in town. It’s a great little town with quaint little shops to meander in and out of as we quietly sip our coffee. One of those little stores is the toy shop I mentioned a second ago. It was here, as our kids were lost in a world of bring inanimate figures to life, that I noticed a quote painted on the top of the wall. It was placed just under the ceiling where you could see it from any point in the store. Here’s what it said:
“You don’t stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing.”
I know this is not a Bible verse but I’ve never forgotten those words, partly because of my serious nature, partly because I have three kids, and partly because I don’t want to grow old, at least not in my mentality.
One of my favorite things about kids is the way they play. Play, play all day is their life mission statement. From sun up to sun down that’s literally all they want to do. There will come a time where that’ll shift but as my dad always told me, “You only get to be a kid once.”
Do you know what else I love about kids? I absolutely that they constantly and fearlessly ask questions. There is not one shy bone in their body about asking you anything they want to know about. And I mean anything.
But a lot like playing, somewhere along the way that all stops. For some reason, as we set down our Tonka trucks, Barbies, and Crayolas, we all tend to set down our questions with them. It seems as we grow older, we either assume we have the answers or become okay with not knowing.
Allow me to take some creative liberty with the phrase above and our subject scripture to create a new verse.
“You don’t lack wisdom because there are no answers; you lack wisdom because you stopped asking questions.”
I often implore young people to never, ever stop asking questions. What I’ve learned is that person with all the answers has stopped growing but the person with all the questions never stops advancing. If you have to chose between having an answer or having a question, always choose the question. There’s nothing more powerful than a mind filled with wonder.
So let me ask you. Are you the type of person who thinks they have everything figured out? Are you always giving the answers? If so, make the change today. Develop some questions and start asking, because questions are the key to wisdom!
PRAYER
Father, I’m so grateful that you want me to be filled with wisdom. Today, I make a determination to be a person of questions, to ask you for answers and to draw understanding out of those around me. Fill me with questions so I can be filled with wisdom. I choose to exercise my ears more than my mouth and as I do, I know you’ll answer my prayer to make me wise. In Jesus’ name, amen!