Monday, March 15, 2010

Wisdom for Living

"Grey hair is a mark of distinction, the award for a God-Loyal life."  Solomon

A grey-haired stranger has been greeting me in the bathroom mirror every morning for over a month now.  She refuses to go away.  Steely, strong, determined she is.  On every appearance, she frowns, then smiles, angles her head first this way, then that way.  She winks at me and turns away.

Where did she come from?

Who is she?

Western philosophy begins with "Know thyself".  It's been 60 years and counting, and I am still surprised at myself.  The frequency of being caught off guard when I catch a glimpse of subconscious motivations, or being brought face-to-face with willful rebellions, petty jealousies, or selfish ambitions astounds me.  Knowing I am so typically  human is not very gratifying, to say the least.  Would Plato have a "Step Two" to help me progress on the path to enlightenment?

Ancient Hebrew philosophy teaches, "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom."  Now there is something I can get a hold of.  Learning that God loves me just the way I am, that I can do nothing to make Him love me any less, and nothing to make Him love me any more is comforting beyond words.

So that stranger in the mirror?  I will take my time getting to know her, and in the meantime, I will keep learning more about who God is and revelling in being loved and accepted no matter what I look like.

3 comments:

Kelly L said...

Great and very truthful post.

Thanks
Kelly

Unknown said...

NIce journal like entry! Very real.

Jan said...

Hey - glad to hear you've joined the ranks of the "gray-hairs". You're in good company! Jan Chappell