⁵ A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
_⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:5-7 [NKJV]

Two of the most central themes of my daily bread series has always been the same throughout the years, “Humilty” and “Wisdom”. These were, and still are the two things that I need the most in my life. Sure, I have been making some positive progress on both fronts, but I am also acutely aware that there is still more that can be done for me to be better at showing genuine humility in my interactions with others, and also in acting and living with wisdom on a daily basis.

And today, perhaps God is trying to remind me of both those lessons. So, speaking from my own personal experiences and the kinds of lessons that I have been picking up, I will say that lessons on humility usually comes before wisdom. In order for us to gain more wisdom and understanding, we must first being willing to humble ourselves. We need to be willing to learn, and to accept instruction and advice from others that might actually know more than us, more than I do.

There is Always Something We can Learn

No matter where we are, or the circumstances that we’re in, I truly believe that there is always an opportunity for us to learn something. Every situation that we’re in will always have a lesson. They are not necessarily big moments with big caveats, or morale-of-the-story type moments. Sometimes, it can be small, subtle, little moments in our lives that reminds us of something that we might’ve forgotten and perhaps God knew we needed a reminder.

I cannot remember who said it and when, but I do remember some of the words that was said about having wisdom. It kinda goes something like this, “True wisdom isn’t about how much you know or understand today, it’s about accepting that there is still a lot that you don’t know.”

I think that that statement is more true that ever now. With everything that I have seen and experienced in my life so far, the best way to really gain more wisdom is to acknowledge and accept that we don’t have all the answers, we don’t have all the best solutions and ideas. We just don’t. And it is up to us to being humble enough to go find out and learn more about what we don’t yet know, or understand.

Seeking [Genuine/Constructive] Advice & Feedbacks

Another truly great way of gaining more wisdom is by knowing how/when to look for advice. Now, it is so important to know that not everyone who shares their unsolicited advice and opinions with you means they have your growth and well-being in mind. It’s so important to know how to discern whether or not what they are saying is really true. And if what they are saying is true, then perhaps you have to be willing and humble enough to really examine yourself to see if there is something you need to do to improve yourself.

But putting everyone else aside, on our own, we have to be willing enough to ask others for their advice and feedbacks. It might not always be pleasant to hear (truly), but sometimes, they are just exactly what we need to hear. And it is those feedbacks and advice that will help to turn things around for us. I’ve experienced that quite recently myself. By listening to someone’s advice (it was a little hard to swallow at first, but it made some sense, so I decided to examine myself and made the necessary corrections). Well, the results/improvements were not immediate for sure, but eventually, my situation did turn around and became better to what it is today.

To me, this personal experience was a reminder that I needed to be humble once again, to be down-to-earth/grounded, and be willing to listen to others (to the right people). I am not done growing and I am most certainly not done with my learning too. There is still so much that I don’t know.

Personal Prayer for Today

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for speaking to me this morning. I know that I need to begin my work for the day, but I want to take some time and put You first before everything else. I know that when I do that consistently in my daily life, things usually always gets better and better.

But today, I am thankful for the much needed reminder to always be teachable (an attitude, and willingness to learn). I know that there is always something I can learn, be it from a situation that I was in, or an experience that I’ve recently had. I am also thankful that You brought someone into my life who would give me the kind of advice/feedback that I needed to hear even though it was a little hard to swallow at first. It was what I needed, and it was the kind of advice that eventually helped to turn my situation around for the better.

As I begin my day today, I pray and ask that You will continue to bless me with more wisdom and understanding. But even more important than that, I ask that the Holy Spirit will continue to remind me to be humble, because everything begins with our own humility. I know that there is still so much that I don’t know, and so much that I have yet to understand. I trust that in due time, You will bless me with whatever wisdom and understanding I need to excel, both in my personal and professional life.

I vow to give You all of the praise and all of the glory. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.