An Invaluable Gift

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

“I can’t do it. I’m dropping out of law school.” My melodramatic declaration on an inhaled sob clearly caught my mom off guard.

Classes for my first semester had ended, finals week was a few days away, and the pressure cooker of law school culture had finally gotten to me. In a moment of panic, I’d packed a bag and driven home. And here I stood, a teary mess, outside the classroom where Mom taught as a paraprofessional.

My mom is steady and calm in the midst of chaos, and once she got over the shock of finding me outside her door, she hugged me close, told me we’d figure it out together, and sent me to my childhood home to get a snack and rest until she arrived.

“What’s your plan B?” she asked hours later after dinner, as the two of us sat at the kitchen counter over cups of coffee.

“My plan B?” I replied. “I don’t know. Do I need one?”

“You do. You can quit, but you need to plan for what you will do instead. And, while you think about that, why don’t you stay here and study for finals instead of driving back to campus?”

Stumped and slightly flummoxed, I did exactly what Mom suggested. I stayed with my parents, and in the end, passed my finals, decided law school could be endured, and never did think of a suitable alternative plan.

Mom kept me from making a rash decision in a moment of intense pressure, and I’ve been forever grateful for her objective wisdom and love when my emotions prevented me from seeing the situation clearly.

Scripture has a lot to say about wisdom, including calling it “more precious than rubies” (Proverbs 3:15) and promising that when we pray for wisdom, God—who is generous—will freely give it to us without reproach (see James 1:5). Godly wisdom is ours; we merely need to ask. Other than salvation, I’m hard-pressed to think of a more valuable gift.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Who has been a wise influence in your life? Reach out with a thank-you even as you consider how you might pay it forward by sharing wisdom with someone else.