"He who walks with the wise will be wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
Prov. 13:20
"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times." — Thomas Merton
Each morning, I sit in my squishy, comfy couch and breathe in peace, light and beauty. Candlelight throws gentle shadows on the room, fairy lights twinkling like stars, music wafting softly as I drink my tea. This is the primary time in which, daily, I have searched for and found the riches of wisdom to store in my mind and soul.
For years, Clay and I sought to feed the minds, hearts and souls of our children on all that was wise, excellent, thoughtful, Biblical, eternal. As I have often said, we filled the treasure chest of their souls with the best, so that when they needed to draw from their souls the rest of their life, they would have treasure there--wisdom, depth, knowledge.
This was intentional--to establish the foundations of our children on wisdom. This worthy goal set our own minds to find wisdom for ourselves, in order to share it with others. The very owning of our stewardship of our children's minds sharpened our own minds. It was a grid from which we lived life--to share, teach, instruct, read, think, cultivate and nurture wisdom.
One night years ago as I was pondering aloud to my family about how to make life more simple, how to set boundaries, how to continually restore and refresh so that I can have something in my own soul from which others may draw, my son shared the quote above that he has been pondering from his own reading:
This quote, worth repeating, helped me to ponder how to set boundaries, how to slow down, how to live within the limitations of my life.
"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times." — Thomas Merton
“Not only have I been taking this quotation to heart, and trying to figure out just what it means in my own life, but I have also seen how much my children are a channel of wisdom for me, now. They gained the habit of thinking, reading, pondering, and gathering wisdom in contrast to the voices of the world which surround them--and now they have become counselors to me. Their minds feed my mind now. Their deep thoughts guide me.
Sowing wisdom and seeking to infuse the very air we breathed with wisdom for so many years not only fed my soul, but educated those who would eventually become my own counselors!
I find myself in a similar season of questioning even now. How have I allowed myself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to want to help everyone in everything, to commit to too many projects? In other words, how have I succumbed to my times--the violence of overcommitment?
I still seek the wisdom of counselors who can help guide my life, and now, it ends up, they share my last name!