Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. James 3:13
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts”
John Wooden – coach and philosopher
As I was reading this passage from James, I was struck by the timeliness of this ancient wisdom. In a time such as we have in the United States today, there is a need for “humility that comes from wisdom”.
I heard a podcast interview with a scholar today who is noted as a bit of an expert on the causes of the Holocaust. He has done a lot of research, and after much reading, and even insightful exposition of the causes of that horrific exercise of violence and racism, he notes that he still cannot understand all of the immense historical and cultural factors that led up to it.
The interviewer also noted that often, people who have the least information on a subject often portray great confidence and certainty of their own conclusions. That circled me back to the passage for today. James mentioned that only the truly wise person has the humility to know that they don’t know it all.
Albert Einstein, that great, brilliant physicist, admitted that he could not come to terms with some of the ideas of quantum physics, even though he could be considered the “grandfather” of quantum physics. Einstein looked for explanations of the causality of the universe, and he believed that there had to be better explanations than the “uncertainties” that quantum physics requires. He had a quote that he used often- “God did not roll the dice” when he created the universe.
Even Einstein had the humility to know that he did not possess the answers that only God knows. It feels like there is a good lesson there…
Prayer: Lord, gives us wisdom, but first give us humility to use it well, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 