Hi Friends,

I love a good checklist.

I have one for my “to-do” list today, I have one for cleaning the house, I have one for the next grocery run. I google for a list of pros and cons when buying new shoes or a replacement vacuum. I peruse the listed benefits on which zoo passes to buy the family.

“Do you want “package A” with this list of benefits or “package B” with these?” Boom. Decision made easy. I love it.

Imagine the thrill in my list-loving soul when I stumbled on James 3:14-18 and found that we get to choose what kind of wisdom we want in our lives. And James provides a description of each in — you guessed it — a checklist.

The choices before us:

Wisdom that is earthly: bitter, envious, self-seeking, boastful, deceitful, confusing

Wisdom that is from above: pure, peaceful, gentle, willing to yield, merciful, no partiality, no hypocrisy, good fruit

Now, choosing which wisdom package you want is a bit of a no brainer. But here’s the challenging part:

Being honest with yourself about which you are walking in.

I’ve never proudly, publicly stood by my self-seeking. But it has lurked behind scenes, buried in my motivations.

I want to believe that the choices I make are merciful. But have I hurried to do what I think of as good deeds while passing quickly by someone hurting? Is mercy — is wisdom — really in me?

The urge to win the argument, to be crafty with my words and obscure some of the truth. The insistence that “I can’t yield — I’m right!” Ooof. I know it well.

Yes, honesty is the hardest part.

I’ve been returning this week to a prayer-turned-song I sang with friends recently:

Counsel me.

That’s it, that’s the prayer.

That my ear would be tuned to His voice and my heart open to receive what He says. That I might recognize envy, selfishness, and deceit. That I might choose peace, gentleness, and purity.

Jesus, I want wisdom that comes from above. Counsel me.

–Anna

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​