WISDOM’S BETTER THAN STRENGTH
A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge is more powerful than a strong man. –Proverbs 24:5
The wise conquer the city of the strong and level the fortress in which they trust. –Proverbs 21:22
Wisdom is better than strength. –Ecclesiastes 9:15
As a young man I valued strength. It seemed to me that strength was the most important thing. It certainly felt the most manly. We can see from the billions of dollars spent every year on professional sports, and watching athletic feats of strength, an illustration of how much men tend to elevate feats of strength. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized that wisdom is better and more valuable than just strength.
The older I get, I find that old age is a daily obstacle to conquer or overcome. Strength alone will never suffice to overcome the new challenges that come as we grow older. We must grow wiser, and the sooner and younger we learn that, the better off we’ll be.
Here are a few simple examples to illustrate this wise principle:
I live in a very snowy state. I have been shoveling snow since I was a boy living in Iowa. Then I moved north, 40 years ago, to the “snow state” of Minnesota. When my kids were living at home, of course, I had some help. But for many years now it’s just been me. Having my office in part of my 2 car garage means my other car was parked on my driveway, and one car in the garage. So I had to shovel off my entire driveway, then clean a bunch of snow off the car in the driveway, then shovel off all the snow I just removed from the car. When I was younger, and stronger, this was not that big of a deal. Then I started having some lower back issues, and of course I am 70 now. I know you’re thinking “Pastor Mark, just get a snow blower.” I could, but they’re very expensive, and I sincerely believe in the movement of the body and keeping my mobility and coordination that shoveling helps maintain. So I began to ponder what would a “wiser way” look like for me, now that my strength is more limited and I do not want to injure my back or pull a muscle. A few years ago, I passed on my second car to someone in need, and for the first time in decades my wife and I shared just one car that we kept in the garage. Meaning, the entire driveway was open space now. A few winters ago, we got our first snow and it was about 8 inches. I went out to the driveway and it hit me, “Why do I need to shovel this entire driveway, when I only use the half that lets me drive straight into the garage?!” It was a stroke of genius. So, I shovel-plowed a line down the middle of my driveway to the street. I shoveled just the half I needed, leaving the rest, which is facing south. The sun hits it, and it is on a slight hill, and the sun can just melt it in its own sweet time! Then I went a step further. The shovel I was using weighs almost 8 pounds. I found a wide snowplow shovel that weighs only 3 pounds, and it was another game changer. In addition, I also did this—If we are getting a particularly large dump of snow, say, 6-15 inches on a given day, I go out and shovel it when it is about 4 inches deep. Then, I let it snow more, and go out several hours later and shovel again. This way it keeps the amount I shovel at one time lighter and far easier to manage, and for my back to handle. This is a simple but profound illustration of wisdom being better than strength, and the wisdom to overcome old age.
Vacuuming was also beginning to really bother my lower back. Again, I’m not as strong and agile as I used to be. So, I went and bought an easy-to-use, ultra-light upright Bissell vacuum. I wear a pair of gorilla grip gloves, which makes greater use of the strength I have to grip and move the vacuum. I also vacuum slower. The result—wisdom helped me overcome my older, weakening body and arthritic right thumb.
I have been mowing the lawn since I was 10 years old. I’ve always enjoyed being outside and mowing lawns. I’d been using the same Craftsman push mower on our lawn for the last 28 years, but it was a heavy mower, weighing almost 100 pounds, and my lawn is mostly hilly. Again, I used mowing the lawn as a type of exercise for maintaining my functional fitness. But, it was getting heavy to push, and one day it just wore out and quit. I needed to solve the problem fast, as the lawn needed mowing, and I needed a lighter lawnmower. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on a new mower, and I didn’t want to buy one I had to mess around with in a big box, and put together. I found a guy, that day, on Craigslist who sells refurbished used ones, about 5 miles from my house, and he was willing to take my old mower off my hands for free. He sold me a wonderful, what looked like brand new lawnmower for $140. It weighs just 60 pounds and is much easier to push across my lawn.
This is how I approach my life—think more wisely. Take the time to evaluate, adapt, improvise, and overcome. If you don’t—I make you this promise—you’re going to get hurt! And it could be very, very badly hurt.
May God help us all grow wiser in all things.
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
