My friend, Kim, sent me this scripture via text: Isaiah 33:6: And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times… Read the whole text. It really spoke to me.
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Have you ever noticed that when a crises develops that it takes the non-essentials off the table? I read somewhere that a crises devastates your ego. Some have defined ego as “edging God out,” and some have said it is living in the dark rather than the light. Maybe they are different ways of saying the same thing. I think living in the dark is just living in what light we think we have which is usually not light at all but some variation of darkness—a lie that has been dressed up to appear as light.
It seems that when the crises is over that it is easy to fall back in the ego state. Did we really learn anything? Did the light we gained during that time really overcome our darkness or were we so fearful of our lack of control that we were just in survival mode?
When I think about being sick and being in the hospital, I understand a little about the loss of ego. When it is you, and your world suddenly shrinks to a room and needles, IV lines, and heart monitor wiring, it is easy to feel that your best laid plans have gone astray. It certainly causes you to see that you are never really in “control.” For humanity, the issue of control is really an illusion. Victor Frankl, holocaust survivor, said you always have a choice in how you react. Sometime that is all the light that you can bring to a dark situation. It is not insignificant.
The texts above are full of guidance. Wisdom and knowledge…they are different things. I have wondered if wisdom is correct application of knowledge…that which you know. The fear (trust, awe, reverence, respect) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The devastated ego…the crises…will leave you exhausted, in a stupor, possibly with a sense of lack of control and even depression. This is a post-traumatic state that is very common in the crises. This tiredness is confusing when you try to figure it out logically. Things are OK now, why do I feel this way? This can happen to all of us…patient and/or caregiver. “Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times” Isaiah 33:6. This looks toward a power greater than self. The promise of stability is not control. It is our ability to stand or walk correctly physically, emotionally, and spiritually no matter what. Stability may be the opposite of loss of ego. In this respect, the crises may be offering us a gift…trading control for stability.
Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times...these words keep speaking to me of coming out of the crises having learned and retained the lessons of a devastated ego. It seems that the thing we want most is a return to normalcy and that may be the last thing we need. Normal does not necessarily mean healthy on any level. A good understanding have they that do his commandments. Understanding is linked to doing his commandments. To me, this means that his cosmic principles teach us. They are not a list of do's and don'ts. In ancient Hebrew pictographs commandments meant something like travel markers...your sign posts along your journey. I love that. it is so much more personal that God understands we need some sign posts for finding our way. How does this help us in the crises?
The thought I had was that the crises is a part of the journey, The children of Israel on their journey had the crises of the Egyptians closing in our them in pursuit. Their guidance came in the form of a command to step into the water. What? Man's ways are not God's ways. God made a way of escape where there was not one before...actually, it was there, just not seen for it was under water. It is comforting to know that He does this. Is my way out of the crises just not seen at the moment? Is it under water? Will it open up and be dry land for me to cross over? Is this faith lesson the most important lesson we can learn when ego is devastated in the crises? The sign posts have been put their by Another. The commands come from this Other. Perhaps the most devastating thing of all to the ego is obedience when we do not understand. When everything in our mind is telling us that this is crazy.
Thank you to all for scriptures that stretch my mind and thoughts that give me another way of looking at things. I have some wonderful journey companions who themselves have been through the crises of a devastated ego. The fact that we live through these times to extend encouragement to others on the journey is a beautiful miracle. Thank you, dear friends, for what you mean to me on this part of the journey.
Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times...these words keep speaking to me of coming out of the crises having learned and retained the lessons of a devastated ego. It seems that the thing we want most is a return to normalcy and that may be the last thing we need. Normal does not necessarily mean healthy on any level. A good understanding have they that do his commandments. Understanding is linked to doing his commandments. To me, this means that his cosmic principles teach us. They are not a list of do's and don'ts. In ancient Hebrew pictographs commandments meant something like travel markers...your sign posts along your journey. I love that. it is so much more personal that God understands we need some sign posts for finding our way. How does this help us in the crises?
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