Seeking Wisdom

A beautiful reflecting pool at the Versailles Palace gardens

Seeking Wisdom

After Ammon teaches the people of Limhi in Mosiah Chapter 8, the king rejoices. At this point, either the king talks about the importance of seeking wisdom, or Mormon adds his thoughts here as he abridges the people's history and records for us. It is unclear if Mormon is quoting here or adding his own commentary. In either case, we can see that humans struggle and are not great at gaining wisdom from the Lord. We also can see the importance of working to gain that wisdom better.

O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them! Yea, they are as a wild flock which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of the forest. (Mosiah 8:20-21)

I love the NIV translation of Proverbs 1:6-9. Proverbs repeatedly and vehemently teach us about the importance of wisdom. These verses say:

"Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”

The true essence of wisdom lies not just in possessing it but in the very act of acquiring it. This notion is truly inspiring. The journey towards wisdom starts with the persistent desire and decision to 'get' wisdom.

Another great connection to wisdom is in Proverbs 2:1-5. For this one, I'll use the NRSVUE (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition) translation:

"My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding, if you indeed cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures— then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."

I will propose two ideas that can help us gain wisdom while avoiding common pitfalls or traps humans seem to fall into.

1. Be grateful to the Lord for all we have.

2. Become as a child, or at least take on some attributes of children, to be humble and open to what the Lord would have us learn.

Trying To Be Wise How Do We Avoid Become Fools?

Over all of human history, we can see people who try their best to be wise and fail miserably. When we trust only in our understanding or the understanding of other mortal humans more than in the Lord, we become fools. The scriptures are full of examples. The wisdom of mortal men and women only goes so far.

Romans 1:21-23

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

In Romans chapter one, Paul talks of the wise of the world, and even of Israel, who turned corruptible things into items of worship. They turned from the living God and worshiped things they created. The items include not only physical idols but also ideas. How often have prophets spoken with messages from the Lord that did not fit in the traditions or the current views and ideas of the people? How often have people turned away from those messages, trusting their knowledge or the traditions THEY have made rather than turning to the Lord, the creator Himself?

Some minor changes in verse 21 of the JST help it read a little smoother. It reads, "Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

According to Paul, giving glory to God and being thankful for all we have seems to be one key to breaking this pattern. Rather than looking to our own understanding, we should turn to the Lord and give thanks.

Happiness (And Wisdom) Begins With Embracing Our Bounty

I was told a story recently by a leader at my place of employment in response to my question to him, “How is it going?” A simple question asked many times a day at the beginning of more extended conversations. This was a tough day for this leader and our team. He had every right to be frustrated and upset like many around him were. He reminded me, with just the right amount of humor, about how lucky and blessed we are. I can’t quote him exactly or speak about what happened at work, but he went through the list of amazing things that have gone right for us. He started with the universe and worked his way down to our employment. Paraphrasing, he said to think about the size of the universe and all the trillions of billions of stars out there, and somehow, our grouping of carbon and other elements is in the perfect place to support life. Then, think about the earth and all it gives us. We were born in this country where we have freedom and an excellent economy giving us jobs and the ability to work and be productive. He then mentioned his family and how lucky he is to have them. Our employer pays us very well and offers excellent benefits and opportunities. We are never hungry or wanting. So how can a bad meeting with some bad outcomes hurt all that??

Jeffrey R. Holland gave a plea to the youth in General Conference of April 2022 that I think we should all take to heart. He told them (us) to “begin your search for happiness, by embracing the bounty we have already received from the giver of every good gift.” The path to happiness, and Paul would add to true wisdom, is to realize how much you have been given and stop comparing and reaching for more. If you see others in need, share what you have and reach out for a helping hand.

Become Like a Child, Sure. But What Kind of Child?

The scriptures sometimes tell us that we need to be like children. For example, King Benjamin talks about overcoming the natural man.

Mosiah 3:19 “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

I'll admit to having a few problems with this idea as I think about a few children I know. First off, anyone who has raised or spent time with young children knows that they can be insane at times and the furthest thing from "meek," let alone "submissive." Second, becoming meek and submissive can also be challenging when most of us have spent our lives being told to be strong, work smarter, faster, or be better at things. We are told from the day we can listen to "stop crying," or encouraged to know "we can do it ourselves," or to get in shape and be stronger, or to "grow up."

I recently had a thought that helped me know what "become as a child" should mean or how to visualize it. There are times when children are quiet yet very engaged. Can you picture a young child playing with a toy quietly on the other side of the room, totally content and happy? Or can you picture a child being told a story by their parent, totally into it, and listening intently for what will happen next? I like to think about those times when a child is listening, not overly excited, calm, and just wanting to learn or know more. There is something about those times we lose as adults. I think that is what King Benjamin is talking about.

Henry B. Eyring, in the April 2022 General Conference, shared a profound insight, "I have learned from many experiences that the Holy Ghost speaks most often in a quiet voice, heard most easily when one’s heart is meek and submissive, like that of a child." This resonates with the child I envision in those moments of learning. Perhaps, in our journey to overcome the natural man, we also need to confront our inner "bad child."

TL:DR - Obtain Wisdom At All Costs

We should work to obtain wisdom at all costs. The Lord has true wisdom and a perspective and understanding we cannot imagine. The Lord gives us access to his wisdom, but it takes work. He will also give us wisdom in many different ways and many different places. We must work in school, our workplace, and our personal study. We must pursue things we love and things that are good for us. We must study, think, pray, ask others, work hard, and find all things that are beautiful, truthful, and worthy of our attention. The Lord gives us this entire world, our bodies, life, and all around us to learn wisdom. Nature, art, books, science, literature, music, people, and so on are worthy of our study. Paul told us the same in Philippians 4:8

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Let's read Proverbs 1:6-9 one more time. The below is again from the New International Version (NIV):

6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;

love her, and she will watch over you.

7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.

Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;

embrace her, and she will honor you.

9 She will give you a garland to grace your head

and present you with a glorious crown.”