Wisdom Waits
My friend shares the story of the time she went to a car dealership. The salesman came out sharing all his “official” information regarding all the different cars and their prices. Certain she wanted the used Impala, the salesman pressured her to look at “new.” She did; and against her better judgment, bought a new Corvette instead.
After the fact, while she liked her new car, she did not like the several year payments. She scolded herself more than once for not following her good judgment and just waiting for another time when she was under less pressure and then buy the car within her means, rather than forcing herself in a situation where payments often drained her of any extra funds for other things she wanted or needed.
“Wisdom waits!” I like this idea and I believe it’s smart! Sometimes it’s in our best interest to wait and let things “soak in” before reacting. Sometimes we hear information that leaves us with a lot of emotion and questions. Our impulse is to deal with the person or persons involved immediately. We want answers, now— or without ‘waiting’, share every thought that just popped in our head! But if we were to listen to wisdom, allow our emotions to simmer down rather than boiling over, we would likely respond a lot differently.
TV commercials command instant response. “Order right now…. this offer might not be available tomorrow….” And you see the same commercials for three more months! The implication is if you don’t order today, right now…..or sometimes even in the next ten minutes, you are going to miss out on an amazing deal because the deal will no longer be available. They are using a pressure sales tactic (like the car salesman) because they are afraid if you don’t do it right now, you probably won’t. Wisdom says wait and think about it! You may not need it or you might like something else similar, at better quality and perhaps at less cost.
This same idea can be used when trying to diet---or even just eat better! Wisdom tells me if I eat the extra chips, ice cream, drink a soda, or eat sweet processed food, I’m going to pay the price with weight gain, not loss. Add to this I am likely going to feel less than stellar, given the additives, sugars and processing of the food. Yet, often I fail, and reach for the food that seems to be “calling my name” anyway. If I’d listened to the reason of wisdom, I would have waited before giving in to my impulse; gone for a walk, or drink some water until “wisdom waits”, wins!
“Wisdom waits” would also be a good when a person in authority makes a judgment on an important matter without knowing all the details, and then freely shares in public his opinions on what happened. This can be devastating, since bad or inaccurate information can hurt a lot of people, who otherwise would not be affected.
For those not intimately involved with the Special Need Community, it’s another perfect time to use ‘wisdom waits’. When we view a disabled person or one with special needs in any form, how do we react? What do our children or spouse see and hear? What do your ears hear? What do those around you notice about your reaction? 2022 is upon us. Make a diligent effort over this next year to use the “wisdom waits” philosophy in all areas of your life! You might be surprised at the pleasant results!
Happy New Year, everyone!
Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/wheelchair-walk-care-disabled-3948122/