My cousin Jean and I lived on adjoining farms. A lane departed the highway and ran by both of our houses until it ended at the creek. The only cars that traveled the lane were those of our family or someone who took a wrong turn, so we made a playhouse at the top of the hill just before it dipped down to our house, and we filled it with our treasures.
One day while we were playing, we found a miniature skillet lying in the road, so we took it to our playhouse. It was just the right size for cooking a couple of beans or a piece of gravel or two. For several days we made good use of the skillet. Then Jean decided to take it home, but I wanted to keep it in the playhouse.
"It's my skillet," she said. "I saw it first."
"I picked it up so it should be mine!" I cried.
On and on the battle went until finally Jean said, "We'll bury it under the tree until we decide who should have it." So we dug a small hole and buried it. Weeks passed and finally we declared a truce. We would dig up the skillet and keep it permanently in the playhouse. But no matter how much we dug, we could not find it. Our treasure had disappeared with the shifting earth.
James said, How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone. I believe he was telling us to shift our focus from foolish things that cause dissention and destroy relationships, to seeking God’s wisdom that guides us correctly and lasts forever. God wants us to receive His knowledge and then share it, not bury it in the ground.
When conflicts arise, ask God to give you His insight and then use it to guide you. If you bury His wisdom by ignoring it, then like the fog, it will soon disappear. If you use it and share it, wisdom will produce joy and peace as you share God’s message with others.
(Photo courtesy of office.microsoft.com.)
(For more devotions, visit www.christiandevotions.us.)
Alice Stone Thomas is an adjunct professor of English and loves to garden.