Choosing Wisely
Psalm 111 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14
Season after Pentecost August 16, 2009
Solomon’s story calls to mind classic tales in which people are offered three wishes by a golden fish or a genie found in a bottle or a leprechaun caught by the ankle. In the stories, once in a very long while the wishes are used well and wisely, but more often than not they are squandered in foolish posturing. The recipient uses the wishes to fulfill his desire for fame or fortune and ends up with nothing by the end of the story. For Solomon, the possibilities before him are all appealing, especially for a young king newly in charge of an entire nation of people. How tempting it must have been for him to ask for the things that might make his own life better, richer and more comfortable. But what set Solomon apart from most others, even at this young age, was his desire to do what was right in God’s eyes and his intention to put the people of his nation well before himself. When offered the opportunity to receive anything his heart desired, Solomon’s heart desired to be the best and fairest leader he could be. Wisdom was the gift he knew would help him the most. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote words that have become a famous affirmation of just how valuable wisdom is for us in all situations. Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer begins; God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
This prayer speaks to us for many reasons, but the part about wisdom is what I would like to focus on this morning. Wisdom offers to us the gift of clarity, and clarity can free us up from so many of the worries and anxieties that haunt us throughout our lives. This gift that Solomon asked for is not a quick fix for anything. It is a gift that has to be internalized before it can begin to be useful. Wisdom, though, does have the ability to clear the path for us so that we know what we need to do and we also know when we need to do it. Knowing what is the best course of action in any given moment enables us to feel positive about our place in the world and the work we do as well. How often are we paralyzed, wondering what we ought to do, how we should respond? No course of action comes readily to mind and so we feel as though we are floundering. But if we have the gift of wisdom, then we can cut through the confusion and figure out what needs to happen. Wisdom can help us see where the true focus needs to be in any given situation. Some of the most well-loved and frequently-remembered stories about Solomon have to do with his creatively wise solutions to problems that were brought forth to him. I am certain that Solomon as king did some other things that never made it into the annals of history, but we simply don’t know.
Solomon is remembered all these centuries later as a wise king. What will people remember you for? What will I be remembered for? What do we want to be remembered for, at that? Take a minute to think about this, maybe look over the times in your life when you have felt really at peace with who you are and what you offer to your loved ones, what you bring to your community and even to the world. Out of all of these gifts, does one stand out as really strong or special? as uniquely reflective of who you are? When you have it figured out, then write what it is down on your blank piece of paper. You don’t have to put your name there, unless you want to. I will read these aloud anonymously in a bit. I asked some friends this question last night, and got some wonderful answers - one said she wanted to be remembered for her wisdom, another as someone who strived to learn how to love, and another for having loved all living things. There were also some fun answers such as being remembered as someone who loved to canoe or dance or create wild art.
The underbelly of this question, is that it makes us also think about the things that we don’t want to be remembered for. It reminds us that we have to continually make choices in order to be the people we want to be, in order to shape who we are. Making good choices throughout our lives ensures that we will be remembered for the things we want to be remembered for. We can’t just take it for granted.
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One wolf is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Even as I tell this story, I can recall way too many times that I made choices I wasn’t proud of, choices that fed the wrong wolf. The struggle to make good choices is one we all deal with every day. And each time we choose well, it helps to shape us a little more firmly and fully into the person we hope to be. When we make poor choices, however, we don’t have to wallow in guilt, feeling badly about it. We can simply acknowledge that the next time we would do things differently, take a deep breath and move on. For now, let’s focus on the good we want to do and be in the world.
Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way, saying “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
Gracious God, we ask for guidance in choosing well and wisely throughout our days and throughout our lives. May we feed all that is good within us so that we may be remembered as having touched this world for good. May we be remembered for the following gifts: (read papers). Amen.