She covered my hand in hers.
This beautiful woman who I was sitting next to, did not know me. We had only shared a few words, yet somehow she knew. She sensed the welling up of emotion and I’m sure she saw the tears slipping down my cheek, as the message on brokenness was spoken over the audience that night.
I didn’t plan to be touched so deeply, maybe none of us did. We hoped to wear our smiles I’m sure, keeping our guard up and therefore staying relatively unknown to others in the room.
Through that simple act of kindness, her taking my hand, I felt her love and compassion and walls were broken down. I longed for that human touch of comfort and I didn’t even know how much so, until I felt it.
I would find out later that she was walking through her own heartache, yet instead of allowing the unwanted that busted into her life, harden her heart, she was full of love and compassion. This is a glimpse of humanity letting love and wisdom from our Heavenly Father flow through us.
“How wonderful to be wise . . . Wisdom lights up a person’s face, softening its hardness.” Ecclesiastes 8:1 Wisdom is often knowing God is in control, when we are not.
Others do not know. They don’t know to the depths of where your feet have carried you. How all of your security in this world may have been stripped away and yet, even in that barren place there was light. There was hope. God went there with you. “Until man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him.” -Mark Briggs.
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The wisdom of man tells us many wise things to put into place in our lives. That is all good. When you do those things all seems well until the unforeseen happens and life feels shattered. Only Godly wisdom seems to matter then.
Wisdom is seeing life from God’s perspective and knowing the best action to take. Even if you feel like you do not know anything at all, maybe wisdom is knowing that you do not know and having faith that a God bigger than you does. Maybe wisdom is doing all you can, while WAITING ON GOD, who orders the steps of those who love him.
God’s ways are higher than ours. If we could figure out God, He wouldn’t be God, right? “God’s ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby formed in a Mother’s womb.” Ecclesiastes 11:5. Be prepared for others to think what you are doing and possibly saying is crazy if you are stepping out by faith and believing and waiting on God. It’s ok. In fact, you might as well expect it. It’s actually a beautiful place to be.
When you are patient in situations where most are panicking non-stop, they may not understand or believe you and they might even think you are not being authentic. You are just looking through a different lense than they are. It’s the lense of faith in a God who has pulled you through when all of your options disappeared – but Him.
Only you know who you use to be, how God has changed your limiting beliefs, and who you have become through God’s grace. When we realize we are nothing without God, we can finally believe His word over every other word spoken to us. “I have filled him with God’s Spirit, gifted him with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skills (the know how) with a variety of crafts” (Exodus 31:3). Where would we be without a God who gives us the “know how” to do the very thing he has set before us to do. Thank you, Miquell Hennigan, for speaking about this recently.
We all have our times of panic and pain when we just fall apart. That’s ok too. I have been there more than once and no doubt I will feel that sting again. It’s all part of the process to know Him more. A.W. Tozer said it this way, “When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christ like, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.”
The fear of the Lord (respect & honor) is the beginning of all wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Wisdom is God. The more we know Him, the more we find out that we don’t know anything at all and yet there is a divine wisdom that comes by trusting him and it helps us discover what we were made for. I love this. It’s easier to pour into others when we know what we are made for and who the Creator is making us to be.
Hopefully as we come to the end of ourselves we see that God loves us, he’s still in control and that with His help we can not only endure the journey we find ourselves on, but we can find rest and joy along the way. Robin Steele says it this way, “When we lose control, control is not lost. God is in control.”
I have always loved Solomon’s straight forward advice: “So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people to do in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them.” Ecclesiastes 8:15
Maybe we need to give ourselves permission to enjoy what God has given to refresh and strengthen us, so we can continue the work he has entrusted to us. Laugh a lot my friends! Refuse to let the heaviness of life determine the amount of joy you have.
I have witnessed ministers and others tease and laugh with those in the middle of their greatest heartache and pain. I believe that is a beautiful gift for everyone involved. It’s ok to find pieces of joy and happiness in the most weighty of situations. If not, we would surely collapse under the pressure and stress of it all.
Wisdom might sound studious and serious. Wisdom is knowing when to laugh so you can breathe again.
It’s choosing to experience fun and to choose joy even when life looks dim. This life on earth is deceiving. Just as the sun is ALWAYS shining even when it’s hidden and we can’t see it, so is THE LIGHT, our Heavenly Father.
Light is real. Darkness does not exist. In a message Dr. Phillip Brassfield said this truth, “Darkness is the absence of light.” Reflect the light and encourage someone along the way. Choose to laugh when silly things happen or laugh for no reason at all – we all need laughter – we all need a breath of fresh air.
Take someone’s hand, you never know how it will impact their life and literally be a love note sent straight from God himself to the depths of their heart. Know wisdom my friend, wisdom will soften your heart so you can impact others.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the women!
Oh and whether you are a mom, never have been a mom, maybe you have lost a child, maybe you have an incredible mom or have walked a hard road with your mom or never knew your mom. Know this: “All women are mama’s because all women bring life to the world in some way.” – Holley Gerth
I’d love to hear how a brief moment impacted your life in a special way or how someone reached out to you.
In this with you!
Joelle Povolni
Happy Mother’s Day to my beautiful Mom, and my lovely Mother-in-law, Mum! I’m thankful for all the “mama’s” in my life who were not related to me, but loved me just the same. I honor you all!
