"We live now in a culture of expertise, so completely second nature to us that we don't give it a second thought... It's become one of our shared assumptions, this reach to 'find the expert,' and I wonder if it's part of the reason we do not understand or recognize a true Sage. In business circles experts are sometimes even called sages. They are worlds apart. A Sage differs from an expert the way a Lover differs from an engineer. To begin with, expertise quite often has nothing to do with walking with God, may in fact lead us farther from him. For the expertise of the specialist gives us the settled assurance that he has matters under control, and that we will also, as soon as we put our trust in him. That is why we love him."
Typing that brought Proverbs 3.5-8 to mind, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean 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; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones." Expertise naturally leans on its own understanding. It's worked and studied hard, sacrificed so much to be educated (not that education is bad in any stretch of the imagination). It gives one an arrogance, no matter how subtle it might be. Faith is buried under reason and logic, and what need is there for God?
But in the Sage we see the opposite. We see wisdom, gained over a lifetime of learning and growing. I was going to say that there is a sort of expertise, but I don't feel that's the right word. The Sage doesn't rely upon his own wisdom, but up God who has enlightened him with it over a lifetime. And everything that comes out of the Sage's mouth is meant to draw us closer to God. Faith surpasses everything, there is nothing but trust in the Lord. You're witnessing a life that has been lived with God. A life that has watched Him come through time and time again, over and above what was ever imagined. The Sage knows God deeply and personally, and never takes credit or glory for himself. This is what we should be seeking when we need advice and counsel.
"Now of course, there is nothing wrong with expertise - per se. I'd be the first one to find the best heart surgeon in the country should my son need heart surgery. And yet, why is it that we seem to have so few Sages in our midst, that most of us have witnessed the Sage only in stories like those I've recounted? Is it that they don't exist, or might it be that our near-worship of expertise has pushed the Sage to the sidelines?... Given mankind's inexplicable reluctance to rely on God, and nearly limitless ability to rely on anything else, can you see how the culture of expertise actually plays right into our godlessness, despite all our protestations to the contrary?"
The more intellectual we become, the less we tend to rely upon God. The less we feel we need Him.
"The Sage, on the other hand, communes with God - an existence entirely different from and utterly superior to the life of the expert. Whatever counsel he offers, he draws you to God, not to experiences, and that wisdom is one of his great offerings. But he has learned not to lean upon his wisdom, knowing that often God is asking things of us that seem counterintuitive, and thus his wisdom (and expertise) are fully submitted to his God. Humility might be one of the great dividing lines between the expert and the Sage, for the Sage doesn't think he is one. 'Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him' (Prov. 26:12 NIV). thus we might not know we have a Sage at the table, for he will remain silent while the 'experts' prattle on and on."
The Sage doesn't seek to advance himself. He doesn't need to make his voice heard, but we desperately need him to speak. His humble offerings of wisdom contain the words of life that we need to hear. His experience through the decades allow us to see that God is always at work, and that He always provides for His children. In the Sage we begin to see that God can be trusted, and that He will never abandon us. In the life of the Sage we see the promises of Scripture lived out. "The experts impress. The Sage draws us to God. He offers a gift of presence, the richness of a soul that has lived long with God."
Oh that we all would have someone like this. "To sit with a man who has walked with God some seventy-plus years, to be in the presence of a father, to have the eyes of a wise and gracious man fixed upon you, to have his heart willingly offer you affirmation and counsel - that is a sort of food the soul of a man craves... I hope you have had the opportunity to sit in the presence of a genuine Sage, for then you will know that there is an indescribable something that a seasoned man brings with his presence. It's more than just wisdom, much more than expertise. It is the weight of many winters." We only become a Sage by living life with God, for it is only then that we have something truly worth offering, and a heart that is able to offer it. This is where the journey we are on is taking us.
"There is something a man who has lived a full life carries with him that cannot be learned form a younger source, however smart that source might be. The wealth of experience is part of it, an essential part. But I think you'll notice that rue Sages offer the wisdom they've gained through experience with a sort of humility and tenderness, a graciousness I believe is best described as compassion."
A few months ago I was talking with the pastor friend I wrote about yesterday. I was telling him something about the thought I had to get back into professional ministry. He graciously listened to me, and then began to probe a little. Gradually the conversation moved from what I was thinking to the real issues at hand. He began to speak words I desperately needed to hear. I'm blessed to know this Sage. He's wise enough to be able to see beyond what you're saying, but compassionate enough to speak in a way that didn't make me feel like a failure. That is what a Sage does. They speak the truth we need to hear, but in a way that inspires us, not crushes us. You see, the Sage has no agenda, he really just wants to see others succeed. He simply wants them to find all that God has for them. He desires that they come to know God as he has.
"It is a matter of presence. A Sage does not have to be heard, as a Warrior might, does not have to rule, as a King might. There is room in his presence for who you are and where you are. There is understanding. He has no agenda, and nothing now to lose. What he offers, he offers with kindness, and discretion, knowing by instinct those who have ears to hear, and those who don't. Thus his words are offered in the right measure, at the right time, to the right person. He will not trouble you with things you do not need to know, nor burden you with things that are not yet yours to bear, not embarrass you with exposure for shortcomings you are not ready yet to overcome, even though he sees all of that. For he is wise and compassionate."
Oh that we all would find such a man. How many are out there that we have ignored or pushed aside as old and irrelevant? Let us never take them for granted, for when we do, we wound them deeply.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
No comments:
Post a Comment