I don’t really know whether I was dreaming
Or having a vision
Or both
The woman standing before me was simply beautiful
Simply – not like a glamor model on the glossy pages of a fashion magazine
She evoked in me an intense delight and a deep desire to be in her presence
Not unlike the crush I had on my first grade teacher
Or my recurrent dreams of saving my 3rd grade classmate from some calamity
And becoming her hero
Think Charlie Brown and the little red-haired girl
I wondered to myself
Who are you
Or maybe I said it out loud
Because she answered as if I had asked her
I am known as Wisdom
You may call me Sophia
And you have been seeking me
You have been calling me for much of your life
Please forgive my ignorance
But when have I called for you
Every time you wondered how to get from where you are
To where you want to be
You have summoned me, Sophia
And you are only now responding
Why now
Why after so much seeking
So much frustration
Oh, I’ve been here all the time
You just did not see me
Perhaps you expected a wise old man
Perhaps you anticipated that I would be the reward for accumulated knowledge
Perhaps you assumed you would acquire my presence as a function of aging
I am not any of those
But I think you are now ready to see my true nature
Which is what
If I might be so bold to ask
It is really no mystery
You have read about me many times in the scriptures
What do you recall from your studies
Well my favorite story about you is from Proverbs
That you were there when all was created
That you rejoiced to see what came into being
That you were especially delighted with the creation of humanity
That’s my favorite too
But that bit about rejoicing
It was more like laughing and playing
And yes – pure delight
Unbounded pleasure
Total joy
You sound like what we call a free spirit
That is so different than what we consider to be wisdom
We think it’s all about knowledge and understanding
Insight like the wisdom of Solomon
Making good choices
Walking in ways faithful to the goodness of God
Serious business
Those ideas are not completely foreign to who I am
But they are more about the far end or the result
What I want to show you is the way of wisdom
The way to get to those desirable results
I’m willing to listen
What is this way that you talk about
It is a way which is all about
Imagination
Creativity
Playfulness
Experimentation
Practice
Laughter
Delight
I don’t understand
Those don’t sound like especially serious things
Can such things lead to the wisdom we need to face the challenges of our world
You have long desired to get from where you are to where you want to be
But you have been frustrated
You don’t see a clear path to attain your goals
You often feel guilty for not being the person you want to be
You sometimes feel the burden of obligation to become someone you are not
Guilt and obligation will never provide you with what you need
Think for a moment about what it is you most desire
Imagine what your life would be like if you reached your goal
The best description I’ve ever considered was a life immersed in God’s presence
A life filled with gifts of the Spirit
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
Goodness, authenticity, gentleness, integrity
A life that looks like the life of Jesus
When you think about such a life
Is there any place in that life for guilt
Or obligation
Yet such negativity has had a strong influence in your life
Well how do you propose that I get from where I am to where I want to be
Isn’t it just about doing the hard work
Putting in the effort
Choosing to be what I want to be
Acting on that choice
And regretting and repenting when I fail
Do you remember the day you watched your infant son learning how to stand up
Experimenting with the best ways to get back down
Oh yeah - That was so delightful to watch
He repeatedly pulled himself up alongside the couch
First he just plopped back down
Then he found different ways to get back down more slowly
It was fun to watch him trying different ways to do it
Notice the words you have used to describe that experience
Delightful, fun
This is what I experience as I watch people become who they want to be
But you must become like that child you enjoyed watching so much.
Didn’t the apostle Paul say - When I was a child, I spoke like a child
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child
When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways
Yes, but do you also remember what Jesus said
I do – Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven
I’m confused – what does it mean to become like children but not be childish
You know more than you think
What do you think being childish is like
Well – self-centered, moody, tantrum-throwing, unserious, unfocused
Right – but what attributes of a child do you admire – what would you like to imitate
It has always bothered me that, as we age, we lose our imagination
and our willingness to experiment – it seems like we get stuck in certain ways
So I guess I like all the things you mentioned earlier
Imagination, creativity, playfulness, experimentation, practice, laughter, delight
Do you remember the math teacher who taught you geometry
I do – and I remember that he taught us to treat it like a game we were playing
I remember having a lot of fun learning geometry and playing that game
For some reason I think he was a pastor before he was a teacher
Now I think he must have known you
When you delight in the possibilities and play with the options, then I am there with you
Working with you, supporting you, guiding you, inviting you, encouraging you
Just like you were with your children as they learned to stand, to walk, to talk
But it is not just me that is with you
Think of all the others who are searching for the same thing as you
Trying to get from where they are to where they want to be
It’s always easier to do it together than to try to go it alone
I know that from experience
And I am deeply grateful for those who are on the journey with me
It seems to me now, more than ever before, maybe we can get from here to there
I can’t wait to start playing with the options – imagine the possibilities
And I, Sophia, can’t wait to continue watching and helping you to get from here to there
Imagine my delight
Michael Loser
Covenant Participant
Or having a vision
Or both
The woman standing before me was simply beautiful
Simply – not like a glamor model on the glossy pages of a fashion magazine
She evoked in me an intense delight and a deep desire to be in her presence
Not unlike the crush I had on my first grade teacher
Or my recurrent dreams of saving my 3rd grade classmate from some calamity
And becoming her hero
Think Charlie Brown and the little red-haired girl
I wondered to myself
Who are you
Or maybe I said it out loud
Because she answered as if I had asked her
I am known as Wisdom
You may call me Sophia
And you have been seeking me
You have been calling me for much of your life
Please forgive my ignorance
But when have I called for you
Every time you wondered how to get from where you are
To where you want to be
You have summoned me, Sophia
And you are only now responding
Why now
Why after so much seeking
So much frustration
Oh, I’ve been here all the time
You just did not see me
Perhaps you expected a wise old man
Perhaps you anticipated that I would be the reward for accumulated knowledge
Perhaps you assumed you would acquire my presence as a function of aging
I am not any of those
But I think you are now ready to see my true nature
Which is what
If I might be so bold to ask
It is really no mystery
You have read about me many times in the scriptures
What do you recall from your studies
Well my favorite story about you is from Proverbs
That you were there when all was created
That you rejoiced to see what came into being
That you were especially delighted with the creation of humanity
That’s my favorite too
But that bit about rejoicing
It was more like laughing and playing
And yes – pure delight
Unbounded pleasure
Total joy
You sound like what we call a free spirit
That is so different than what we consider to be wisdom
We think it’s all about knowledge and understanding
Insight like the wisdom of Solomon
Making good choices
Walking in ways faithful to the goodness of God
Serious business
Those ideas are not completely foreign to who I am
But they are more about the far end or the result
What I want to show you is the way of wisdom
The way to get to those desirable results
I’m willing to listen
What is this way that you talk about
It is a way which is all about
Imagination
Creativity
Playfulness
Experimentation
Practice
Laughter
Delight
I don’t understand
Those don’t sound like especially serious things
Can such things lead to the wisdom we need to face the challenges of our world
You have long desired to get from where you are to where you want to be
But you have been frustrated
You don’t see a clear path to attain your goals
You often feel guilty for not being the person you want to be
You sometimes feel the burden of obligation to become someone you are not
Guilt and obligation will never provide you with what you need
Think for a moment about what it is you most desire
Imagine what your life would be like if you reached your goal
The best description I’ve ever considered was a life immersed in God’s presence
A life filled with gifts of the Spirit
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
Goodness, authenticity, gentleness, integrity
A life that looks like the life of Jesus
When you think about such a life
Is there any place in that life for guilt
Or obligation
Yet such negativity has had a strong influence in your life
Well how do you propose that I get from where I am to where I want to be
Isn’t it just about doing the hard work
Putting in the effort
Choosing to be what I want to be
Acting on that choice
And regretting and repenting when I fail
Do you remember the day you watched your infant son learning how to stand up
Experimenting with the best ways to get back down
Oh yeah - That was so delightful to watch
He repeatedly pulled himself up alongside the couch
First he just plopped back down
Then he found different ways to get back down more slowly
It was fun to watch him trying different ways to do it
Notice the words you have used to describe that experience
Delightful, fun
This is what I experience as I watch people become who they want to be
But you must become like that child you enjoyed watching so much.
Didn’t the apostle Paul say - When I was a child, I spoke like a child
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child
When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways
Yes, but do you also remember what Jesus said
I do – Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven
I’m confused – what does it mean to become like children but not be childish
You know more than you think
What do you think being childish is like
Well – self-centered, moody, tantrum-throwing, unserious, unfocused
Right – but what attributes of a child do you admire – what would you like to imitate
It has always bothered me that, as we age, we lose our imagination
and our willingness to experiment – it seems like we get stuck in certain ways
So I guess I like all the things you mentioned earlier
Imagination, creativity, playfulness, experimentation, practice, laughter, delight
Do you remember the math teacher who taught you geometry
I do – and I remember that he taught us to treat it like a game we were playing
I remember having a lot of fun learning geometry and playing that game
For some reason I think he was a pastor before he was a teacher
Now I think he must have known you
When you delight in the possibilities and play with the options, then I am there with you
Working with you, supporting you, guiding you, inviting you, encouraging you
Just like you were with your children as they learned to stand, to walk, to talk
But it is not just me that is with you
Think of all the others who are searching for the same thing as you
Trying to get from where they are to where they want to be
It’s always easier to do it together than to try to go it alone
I know that from experience
And I am deeply grateful for those who are on the journey with me
It seems to me now, more than ever before, maybe we can get from here to there
I can’t wait to start playing with the options – imagine the possibilities
And I, Sophia, can’t wait to continue watching and helping you to get from here to there
Imagine my delight
Michael Loser
Covenant Participant
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