… knowing isn’t everything.  If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn’t that insensitive. 1 Cor 8:7 (the Message)

There was an ongoing debate in Corinth about what to do with meat offered to an idol. Could it be eaten by Christians or not? More specifically, should it be eaten by Christians? Technically, meat is meat and the only meat that becomes special is meat offered to God. The problem starts when others watch how we behave. Will it draw others to God if they see us eating meat meant for idols, or will it push them away? The same type of situation exists today – only it deals with more than just meat offered to idols.  

A lot of money is spent (by someone) on research as to the most efficient way to tie our shoes and the results of that research are posted on social media and press releases are sent out to the major newspapers in the country. “In order to better tie your shoes, you need to follow these directions...”  We’ve gained knowledge but have we gained wisdom?

If we look at a definition of knowledge and a definition of wisdom, the phrase, “good judgment” is found under wisdom. Knowledge is gathering facts, information, and skills through experience or education.  

I remember when New Math came on the scene many years ago. Someone had researched the subject and decided that this way of working through a math problem was the best way for students to understand the process. Unfortunately, many of us had no clue what the teachers were trying to tell us. When we went to the math expert in our homes, they also didn’t have a clue. These experts taught us how they knew the problems could be solved and many of us ended up using those processes rather than the New Math.

There’s something about having a lot of letters behind our names and the title “Dr.” in front of our names that tends to convince people that we are highly brilliant. The fact may be that we are just good test takers.

An important question to ask ourselves before we spend the time and money to get all those letters and the title is, “why?” If we are honestly curious about finding a more effective way to tie our shoes, then we need to go for the gold. If we’re just wanting to impress others, there may be a different route we should take. The important thing is to keep going beyond just gathering knowledge. We need to keep going until we find the wisdom to use the knowledge.

Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. She has recently published her first book, Jessie’s Corner: Something To Think About, which is now available for purchase. Based on several lesser-known scriptures from the Bible, this is a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.