Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 609 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wisdom – The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 609 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. We are hiking a series of trails called The Tools in Gramps’ Backpack.

Every Monday for the past 20 weeks, we have explored a different tool that is needed to motivate and equip parents and grandparents to train their children and grandchildren to be successful on their trek of life.

If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own, use these tools to train others that you do influence. Today the 20^th and final tool from Gramps’ Backpack, and it is Wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.

During the past five weeks since our granddaughter, Hazel was diagnosed with leukemia, we have been adjusting and refining our schedules to be able to assist whenever and wherever we are needed. We are prepared to change our plans and schedules at a moment’s notice. If Hazel needs to be taken to the hospital or the other three grandchildren need to be taken care of, we are on call and ready. This has happened a few times so far, and we are committed to this as part of our living legacy.

I am a person who would prefer a structured schedule so that I can plan, work my plan, and complete my goals and objectives. This change to my structure is contrary to my nature and comfort zone, but I am gladly adapting to refocus my priorities to what is truly important. It is a stretch and forces me out of my comfort zone but an adaptation that I am certainly willing and ready to make. As we grow in wisdom, insight, and understanding, we realize that the greatest way to impact the lives of our children, grandchildren, and others that we mentor is to teach them the valuable tools that are found in Gramps’ backpack.

As with all teaching the lessons are more readily caught by the example of how we are living them through our lives, instead of teaching with words. Both are necessary, but Godly attributes are more readily caught than taught. The tools that make up a good and Godly life which we have explored over the past 20 weeks are:

1. Jesus
2. Purpose
3. Guidance
4. Courage
5. Perseverance
6. Support
7. Leadership
8. Attitude
9. Faith
10. Patience
11. Values
12. Prayer
13. Humility
14. Optimism
15. Fairness
16. Renewal
17. Love
18. Character
19. Passion and today
20. Wisdom

Wisdom

If we are going to teach wisdom to our children, grandchildren, and others we mentor, we must be wise ourselves. How passionate are you to obtain wisdom? Just as King Solomon taught his children, we need to follow his teaching in Proverbs 2:1-8.

¹ My child, listen to what I say,
and treasure my commands.
² Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
³ Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
⁴ Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.
⁵ Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
and you will gain knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
⁸ He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him.

Wisdom is one of the most important character traits that we can teach others. What if you don’t feel that you are wise enough yourself to be able to teach others how to be wise? Even though I have studied wisdom principles for all of my adult life, I still feel that I lack wisdom in so many areas of my life.

Proverbs is referred to as the book of Wisdom, so if you desire to gain wisdom, then continually studying the book of Proverbs should become a habit in your life. That is why I read the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month every day. I established the habit in my life as a young adult and have practiced it ever since.

I never grow tired of reading and rereading Proverbs.  Just one chapter a day provides a rich bounty of wisdom for each day. It only takes 5-10 minutes each day, but the seeds of wisdom that are planted into my mind each day produces a bountiful harvest of wisdom throughout many areas of life. I will read it out of different translations at times, to obtain a fresh perspective of this book of timeless wisdom.

Even with this habit of daily reading a chapter from the Book of Proverbs, I still feel that I have so much wisdom to gain. Where should you turn if you feel that you lack wisdom? Turn to God and His Word who is the author of all true wisdom. Jesus’s half-brother James tells us in his letter 1:5-8, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

There are stipulations that we need to follow to obtain this wisdom, but it is well worth the prize. We must have faith in God alone and not be divided in our loyalty to Him.

Later in his letter, James informs us what wisdom from God should look like in our lives in James 3:17-18, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Does this verse above accurately reflect your life and what you are teaching to your children, grandchildren, and others? I know I lack at times in these areas. That is why we all need to continually seek for wisdom as if it were silver and gold. We need to continually ask our generous God to pour His wisdom into us so that we can be an image bearer for Him.

With these thoughts in mind, we will conclude our trek for today and close Gramps’ backpack. Before I do, I will pass the tool of Wisdom on to you. Once you have this tool in your backpack, it is up to you to live a life that is filled with wisdom and reflects wisdom to everyone you meet. It is up to you to demonstrate and teach wisdom to your children, grandchildren, and others that you mentor. Living wisely with every decision and choice that you make needs to be reflected in your life every day. Wisdom needs to become a part of the very fabric of your life. It is then that you will live the rich and satisfying life that is available to each of us.

Next Monday we begin a new series for our Motivation Monday treks. I am praying about how we should focus our trek. If you have any suggestions or topics that you would like us to pursue, please email me at guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.

On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today.  If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe at iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!