Invitations of Wisdom and Folly
August 21, 2018
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Proverbs 9: 1-6
1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has set up its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls
from the highest point of the city,
4 ‘Let all who are simple come to my house!’
To those who have no sense she says,
5 ‘Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of insight.’
Do you remember your first love? Unless you are one of the lucky few whose first love was also their only, more specifically do you remember how you felt when it was over? One of the growing pains most people go through in life is heartbreak. To a teenager it can feels like the end of their world.
The song 'Fifteen Summers' by Gallagher and Lyle tells of the heartache of a young woman who thinks she is the only one who has ever lost love and the advice offered by someone older and a little wiser. It does not say whether the advice was accepted however.
In today’s reading Wisdom gives an open invitation to anyone who wants to accept her hospitality. The experience and wisdom of others is often offered in this same friendly and open way, with good intention. Just as often, we choose not to accept the invitation, particularly when we are young and so, of course, know it all already.
Perhaps this is because to truly walk in the way of insight, in some situations, we need to go through the process (and the pain) by ourselves before we really understand. We need to sit at the table and eat the food, not just have it described to us by someone else.
At other times however we simply don’t want to listen. Closing our ears and hearts to the wisdom of others is not confined to youth, we can all be prone to doing it. In fact not only do we not heed good advice, we sometimes do the very opposite just because we can!
So did anyone give you some gentle advice after the loss of your first love? Did you listen to it? Wisdom offers her hospitality, we don’t always accept.
Thank you Lord for a love that comes with a guarantee
Love that is everlasting and unchanging
Love offered freely to all your children
Grant them the wisdom to accept the invitation
Amen.
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