First, let me explain why the blogs have been so sporadic as of late. A few weeks ago, I was in the midst of a very busy time, and when I write, I like to write from the heart. Even when I repost a past blog, I want it to be relevant versus random. So, I took a break to prepare for the IMMERSE conference and get in the right frame of mind to receive what God had for me there. There were a couple of days during the conference when I felt led to share some thoughts, so I did.

It was my intention to get the blog back to its daily distribution this week; however, my oldest nephew graduated yesterday from the school where I teach, so no blog. My conclusion through all of this is that I want those who read this blog to have fresh perspectives, so I am only going to post when God lays something on my heart to share. That means posts will be more sporadic, but I pray that you will continue to read because I intend to write high quality content.

All of this leads to today's blog. While I was in a class at IMMERSE about songwriting and rewriting music, one of the panelists said something that really hit home with me. I cannot remember her name and, unfortunately, I did not write it down, but I will never for get her words. She said (paraphrased), "A lot of artists are reluctant to change their songs because they say, 'This is how God gave it to me and I cannot change it,' but God also gave us whole eggs and that's not how we eat them.  Now, I am not the biggest fan of eggs, so the thought of just biting into an eggs, shell and all, and having all of the yolk and everything spill into or on the sides of my mouth nearly made me gag. But, the point was that we should not be so rigid in receiving gifts from God that we are reluctant to make them the best they can be.

I started thinking about all of the ways people eat eggs. Some people do eat whole raw eggs, but not with the shell on them. I prefer mine in an omelet or mixed in with a bunch of other breakfast foods after being scrambled hard. Some people prefer sunny-side-up, runny, or fried eggs. Still others like hard-boiled eggs. But, this is not a blog about eggs. This is a message about taking God's gifts seriously enough that you are willing to change when He gives you wisdom to change the shape of the gift, whether it is directly or through someone else.

Because I started this blog as a daily blog, I thought, I would always post something everything, but instead, Now that it has been nearly a year and a half, I think it's time to listen to God and write when He gives me something new. I would be doing a disservice to anyone who read Ms. EV's blog if I did anything more of less. Thanks for hanging in there on this journey with me. I pray that you find ways to apply these lessons to your life. Ms. EV

Have you ever noticed that some of the smartest people in the world have no common sense? My honors students would flat out tell me that sometimes. And, I know that when I was younger, although book smarts came to me easily, street smarts were not my forte. I was very naïve and somewhat gullible, but I could make honor roll, so I figured that I would be alright in this world. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that it doesn’t matter if you get degree after degree from and Ivy League school or the school of hard knocks, true wisdom does not come from books or experience. 

Please do not misinterpret what I am saying because there is no one more pro-education than I am. I am a teacher and I continued my education until I reached my goal of obtaining a law degree. But, more than anything you learn in school, at work, or at home, our lives are shaped by the lessons we learn. And, all of the education in the world cannot prevent us from acting like fools. Sadly, as beneficial as an education can be, some people educate themselves out of believing in God. 

Whether, you are a really book smart person who lacks some common sense or you possess common sense, but not a lot of education or expertise, thank God for the great equalizer: wisdom. Wisdom is not common sense; wisdom is God-sense. Wisdom doesn’t come from degrees or experience; wisdom comes from knowing, understanding and reverently fearing the Lord. 

When God asked Solomon to make any request, Solomon asked for wisdom to rule the people. Because of this unselfish request, God blessed Solomon with everything that he would ever need. Solomon was known as a great ruler and a fair judge all over the world, unfortunately, while he used his wisdom to help others, he did not use wisdom in staying faithful to God. Perhaps, that is why some of Ecclesiastes seems so depressing. I know that in my life, when I have realized that I was operating out of what made sense to me rather than seeking God’s wisdom, those realizations carried daunting and depressing weight.

If we will always seek God’s wisdom, we will never be led astray. When we do not know what we should do, there is no harm in waiting on an answer from God; there is no harm in the desire to act with His wisdom. How can the Father of time run out of time? He will never run out of time or knowledge, yet we sometimes try to box God into the limits of our time and knowledge. We will never be smarter than God. However, no matter what level of education, experience, or common sense we have, if we seek after the wisdom of God, our lives can be lived on a whole other level. Ms. EV

Have you ever noticed that some of the smartest people in the world have n o common sense? My honors students would flat out tell me that sometimes. And, I know that when I was younger, although book smarts came to me easily, street smarts were not my forte. I was very naïve and somewhat gullible, but I could make honor roll, so I figured that I would be alright in this world. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that it doesn’t matter if you get degree after degree from and Ivy League school or the school of hard knocks, true wisdom does not come from books or experience.

Please do not misinterpret what I am saying because there is no one more pro-education than I am. I am a teacher and I continued my education until I reached my goal of obtaining a law degree. But, more than anything you learn in school, at work, or at home, our lives are shaped by the lessons we learn. And, all of the education in the world cannot prevent us from acting like fools. Sadly, as beneficial as an education can be, some people educate themselves out of believing in God.

Whether, you are a really book smart person who lacks some common sense or you possess common sense, but not a lot of education or expertise, thank God for the great equalizer: wisdom. Wisdom is not common sense; wisdom is God-sense. Wisdom doesn’t come from degrees or experience; wisdom comes from knowing, understanding and reverently fearing the Lord.

When God asked Solomon to make any request, Solomon asked for wisdom to rule the people. Because of this unselfish request, God blessed Solomon with everything that he would ever need. Solomon was known as a great ruler and a fair judge all over the world, unfortunately, while he used his wisdom to help others, he did not use wisdom in staying faithful to God. Perhaps, that is why some of Ecclesiastes seems so depressing. I know that in my life, when I have realized that I was operating out of what made sense to me rather than seeking God’s wisdom, those realizations carried daunting and depressing weight.

If we will always seek God’s wisdom, we will never be led astray. When we do not know what we should do, there is no harm in waiting on an answer from God; there is no harm in the desire to act with His wisdom. How can the Father of time run out of time? He will never run out of time or knowledge, yet we sometimes try to box God into the limits of our time and knowledge. We will never be smarter than God. However, no matter what level of education, experience, or common sense we have, if we seek after the wisdom of God, our lives can be lived on a whole other level. Ms. EV