“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

It is “Earnings Season”.  This is the couple of weeks following a close of the calendar quarter when businesses report their financial earnings from the previous three months and also set expectations with shareholders and analysts as to what they can expect in the coming quarter and the rest of the financial year. This is also the time when we wait and see how Wall Street reacts to the news.  And, as part of all the talk we hear a lot of people say, “Conventional wisdom would mean….”.  Conventional Wisdom is interesting because conventional means: “based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.”  Which, means that what was once conventional can not be conventional at another time because what is “generally done” or “believed” can change.  Which is why we need to balance it with “wisdom” as a modifier (wisdom meaning: “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.”). When someone just throws out “Conventional Wisdom” as a reason, we should stop and ensure that the basis of the convention is sound and the person making the statement comes to the topic with real wisdom.  Otherwise, we might end up making decisions or taking action from the wrong data points.

I find myself more and more often praying for “Wisdom”.  Maybe that is because what was once “Conventional Wisdom” for many subjects has been thrown out the window.  I, like many of you, get asked all the time for advice and counsel and I like to think that is because others might think that I have some wisdom to be shared.  With that comes the responsibility to return to He who is all wise and do my/our best to build from His perspective first and then work forward from there.  James tells us that if we ask for it, God will share, so let’s not miss the gift that is being offered to us to gain His wisdom.

Reference: James 1:5 (New Living Translation)