Where is Wisdom?

I think; therefore, I am --- Descartes

 

Without knowing the philosophical questions of Descartes' time, without the context of his famous quote, it is hard to realize its implications.  But presumably, the thinkers of his day were struggling with the question of "How do we know what's real, or true?"

 

I am pretty sure that Descartes was not equating the mind with the "I" who exist, however.  As I sat on my porch this morning watching the sky and the birds and the trees come to life, all kinds of random thoughts ran through my mind -- thoughts of gratitude, of love, of beauty, of curiosity, of wonder.  And yet, for some reason, I realized that "I" am yet more than these thoughts, that they do not define who "I" am at the core of my being, even though I welcomed the thoughts of the morning and made them my own.  In a way, I am grateful for that reflection, for how many times do thoughts come to us unbidden, thoughts that we actually wonder, "Where did that come from?"

 

Years ago, one of my brothers noted that there is no scientific evidence that our brains manufacture our thoughts-- that it is possible that thoughts do arrive from the (spirit) world that surrounds us.  Then, as the thoughts arrive, we accept them and make them our own -- part of our neuro/biological structure-- or we reject them and do not allow them to make their home with us.  Whatever we welcome as our own thoughts, however, become part of our neuro-anatomy, and whether we want them or not after that, they are "ours," and they will subsequently grow stronger and control our behavior.

 

How many times have we seen the cartoon angel and devil on opposite shoulders whispering thoughts in our ear?  Maybe the cartoon comes closer to reality than we realize.  Whatever the origin of our thoughts, however, what I believe to be absolutely true is that the mind is both the connecting point and the battleground between the spirit -- the "I" -- and the flesh, between the spirit-man and the "natural" man.

 

That is why control of the mind is critical for our existence, even for our health.  For centuries, people have realized this truth in their efforts to control the mind through "mind-control," " the power of positive thinking," etc.  Einstein said that we cannot solve our problems with the same mind-set that created them.  Isaiah said, "Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted.  From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness--only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil."  Isaiah may not have been referring to the mind at this point, but I like to make the application, because the writer of Genesis points out that the Lord saw "...that every inclination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 6).

 

For our health, it is critical that we surrender "the thoughts of our hearts" to Jesus Christ, that He might gain control of where we are going, for we will certainly follow our thoughts into heaven or into hell.  If we are sinful by nature, all the "positive thinking" and "self-control" in the world will not lead us to God's thoughts.  The whole lesson of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil tells us that we cannot tell with our thoughts the difference between good and evil.  We intend the good, and through ignorance or nature, we end up doing the very thing we did not want to do. 

 

Proverbs 3:5 tells us to "lean not on your own understanding/ in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight./  Do not be wise in your own eyes..."  We must be guided by the Holy Spirit in all our ways, and "this will bring health to our body and nourishment to our bones" (Proverbs 3).  One of my favorite prayers is "Holy Spirit, think Your thoughts in me until Your thoughts become my thoughts."

 

Whatever thoughts flit through our minds are not necessarily "ours."  We do not have to claim them as ours, but we are encouraged to "submit every thought to the Lord Jesus Christ" to see where it goes.  If it belongs to the kingdom of God, He will strengthen the thoughts of our hearts; if it does not belong to the kingdom of God, he will demolish it in order to bring us to the Father. 

 

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who gains understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

 

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;

those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

 

Man cannot "think" his way into wisdom, but if anyone wants to gain wisdom and the control of his mind, a wonderful place to begin is the 3rd chapter of Proverbs, read slowly and thoughtfully, "chewed on" and meditated on.  Most of us read the bible for information rather than for inspiration, but if we want to be guided by the thoughts of God, we must abandon our own thoughts and allow His to seep through us in peace and love.  Then we will no longer be at the mercy of every whim and random thought that assails our minds; we will "grow up" into the wisdom of God Himself.