Christian Family Services Ministry

12-6-2022 – A Word to the Wise – Men will turn thoughts over and analyze them from different perspectives. This analysis produces insight which the man disseminates through teaching.

A woman’s source is her spirit and her heart. This is not to say that womanly wisdom is inferior because its source is not logic. Remember, wisdom is not an intellectual property, and it is seated in the heart and received by faith. The truth of the matter is that the wisdom of men and women is equal. Their purposes are different. Whereas the ultimate purpose for the man is to render justice, a woman’s wisdom provides protection, particularly with regard to her family and community.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom for both men and women, and both get wisdom by asking it of God. What transpires next is different. A man begins to acquire wisdom through study and gaining knowledge, but a woman acquires it through heeding the direct prompting of God’s spirit.

Barriers to Acquiring Wisdom. A woman’s acquisition of wisdom is hampered if she seeks it in the same manner as the man. If she attempts to acquire insight by man’s means, then the results are manly insight and not womanly wisdom.

The insight and knowledge a woman gains through study however is still of value. It just tastes different.

A woman acquires knowledge, distills it, and applies it to relationships. After a woman distills the knowledge, she assimilates it then disseminates it through wise behavior.

Another barrier to wisdom arises from the typical relationship men and women have. Men and women rarely listen to each other. Neither hears what the other is saying, yet they need to. Though both perceive things differently, it is only with the combination of both perspectives that solutions appear.

The man brings leadership to the relationship; the woman brings wisdom. Both are necessary if the relationship is to function in a healthy manner. This may be compared to the relationship between the president and the Congress. The president is to provide leadership and direction; ideally, the Congress provides wisdom to guide him in his leadership.

Yet another barrier to wisdom is foolish behavior. Proverbs’ main definition of foolish behavior is an inability to restrain the tongue, specifically with the expression of anger. Alongside anger is foolishness. Both inhibit the acquisition of wisdom.

For men, anger inhibits the acquisition of wisdom, while anxiety does so with women. Both of these emotions tend to be overwhelming, even all-consuming. Just as anger interferes with a man’s reasoning power (his seat of wisdom), anxiety can overwhelm a woman’s heart and spirit (her seat of wisdom). The heart does not have the capacity to process both anxiety and wisdom at the same time, just as the mind cannot operate rationally in the presence of anger.

To be continued.