Old and Wise

A friend of mine recently sent me the photo above. That’s my dad on a duck hunt from a few years back. Sadly, I wasn’t present for the hunt when this picture was taken. It was just my dad and my friend who took the photo. It is one of the strangest feelings as a hunter to not be with the ones you love to hunt with during the season. That is a theme I have become well acquainted with in this stage of life. Growing up I didn’t go hunting unless my dad was with me. Now I live across the state and hunt by myself more than I ever did.

Knoxville and Nashville aren’t that far apart, but it is far enough to limit the days I am able to hunt with dad to the holidays and a few sporadic weekends here and there. I can’t complain too much because I still get to hunt with him quite a bit, but the days of hunting alongside him every weekend and all spare moments during the week seem to be a luxury of the past.

When I do miss hunts at home, I enjoy hearing the stories afterwards and receiving the pictures like the one above. Photos have a special storytelling power that most can’t even articulate with words. This particular photo has always struck me as special, because of its simplicity and the story it tells.

The old and wise duck hunter, sitting on a log in flooded timber with eyes to the sky, classic. The story I see in this photo isn’t really about hunting at all though. There are no straps full of greenheads hanging from a limb. No calling, no splashing to make ripples, dad isn’t even standing. He is simply sitting on a log, shotgun across his lap, looking up through the trees. This is not a story of action. It is a story of stillness, contemplation, and quiet. The qualities forged after years of action. All the calling, making ripples, fighting weather, and striving for every last feather will make a man finally be still. You’d be hard pressed to find a picture of a young man able to genuinely wear these qualities. Young men are worried about the next bird, the next hunt, the next everything. And they strive their youth away in pursuit of what's next. Older men are content to sit and think. They are happy to reminisce and eager to slow down. These are qualities worth talking about.

There are many things in life that you can fake, but you can’t fake being old and wise.

This isn’t a post about flooded timber, ducks, or really any sort of hunting. I’m writing today to explore wisdom, the main theme that comes to the forefront of my mind when I see this picture of my dad. So, let’s look at wisdom, but on a larger scale than the flooded timber can offer.

Wisdom is a tricky thing to write about because one runs the risk of trying to sound wise and that is no noble quality. Do we honor those who try to sound wise or those that are wise? The Bible has much to say about wisdom and those seeking to attain it. We know that it was God who formed the world through wisdom and established the heavens above (Jeremiah 10:12). We also learn from scripture that God is the source of all knowledge and understanding. It is he who gives wisdom to men (Proverbs 2:6).

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, did not work his way to wisdom. He asked the Father to grant it to him and it pleased the Lord to do so (1 Kings 3:3-14). It is he, Solomon, that encourages us to get wisdom and seek understanding (Proverbs 4:5), but we are also warned to never be wise in our own eyes (Romans 12:16) or to think of ourselves more highly than we ought (Romans 12:3).

As Christian we are called to be wise and to walk as such (Ephesians 5:15). What does it mean to be wise though? Does being wise mean you are full of inspirational one-liners? Is wisdom simply a mysterious vibe that compels others to follow you? Maybe to some that is what wisdom looks like, but the wisdom of men is folly to God (1 Corinthians 3:19). So again, I ask, what does it mean to be wise?

Wisdom has everything to do with our mind. Our thinking, judgment, and ability to make sound decisions is what makes us either a foolish or a wise person. Wise people think, but wisdom is not just empty contemplation. It has to have content. So, what we think about must be of high importance as well.

One of the things I struggle with when it comes to wisdom is realizing that there is nothing within me to naturally think, judge, or decide rightly. My natural state is skewed by sin and therefore unwise. However, I am not an unregenerate being. The good news of the gospel is that I have been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit and now have new life with a new mind.

In fact, the apostle Paul continually urges believers to press into this newness by being renewed in your mind. That is how we can test (think) and approve (judge) what the will of God is (Romans 12:2).

Men can be wise in a number of things. The great minds of human time can be found in various forms and vocations. These are able to reason and act with much consideration and forethought, making them wise. I reckon that you can find a form of wisdom almost anywhere, schools, athletic fields, factories, and even flooded timber. While it is hard to describe the wisdom of an old duck hunter who can predict a squirrely duck's next move, it is far more impressive to witness the wisdom of a tried Christian believer who has studied and lived the Holy Scriptures.

If I am going to be wise in any regard I hope it will be in matters of eternal importance. If I engage my mind, I pray the content be the cross of Christ.

Age and wisdom are always so closely connected and rightfully so. While some wisdom does come with age, age alone is no qualifier for biblical wisdom. Many people gray, wither, and die without ever coming to be wise in holiness or truth. I believe there can be both foolishness in age and wisdom in youth. I am not guaranteed tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1). I may not get to be old and wise, so I best apply myself to be wise in my youth. If not wise, at least a little more aware.

If God created the world through wisdom, then it only makes sense that he redeems his children through the same wisdom. He, himself, says that from before the foundation of the world he chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4). Creation flowed from wisdom and the gospel magnifies it more! So, if I seek wisdom I pray it be found in the gospel.

I want to know the gospel. I want to love the gospel. I want to grow in mind and heart for the gospel. There is wisdom there and it flows from a God who is eager and ready to give. Lord, I pray for a receptive heart. One that is hungry for the wisdom found in your gospel message!

While wisdom is worth more than precious gold (Proverbs 16:16) it does come with a sting. The more I grow in the wisdom of the gospel, the more I grow in love for my God. However, the more I love my God, the more I realize how much I have not loved him. Wisdom is of much worth, but not without love. If any form of wisdom does not lead to greater love than it is folly.

Better to die a fool, loving God, than die wise and love him not.

The message of the cross is foolish to the world, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). Lord, teach me to be wise, but let it not be in my own eyes. I desire not to be known by any, but you. If wisdom becomes a foothold of stumbling for me, then let me be simple in order to love Christ more.

But Lord, If loving you is wise, then let me not die a fool.