CHIP

As soon as I heard the loud crack against the windscreen, I knew what had happened!

Kicked up by the wheels of a passing truck, a stone had hit the glass and my son quickly located the large chip in the top corner of the windscreen.   

My heart sank! 

Now I know that in the big scheme of things this wasn’t a massive deal, but it just seemed like another faffy thing to add to my to-do list. I decided that the best course of action was to phone the insurance company as soon as possible to get the chip repaired and then promptly did the opposite of that!

A few days later we got into the car…

“Mum, look!”

There it was! The small chip had now become a significant crack working its way across the passenger side of the glass. What was once a quick repair job to seal off the damaged area would now more than likely require an entirely new windscreen. I turned to my husband for advice and he reassured me that although the car wouldn’t pass an MOT, it would be okay for now as the damage was on the passenger side of the screen.

At that point, I decided to phone the insurance company and get it sorted as soon as possible!

Three weeks later, the fractured windscreen was still there and the niggling feeling that it needed sorting remained. 

The stone chips of our lives often come from nowhere.

The hurtful words of someone we thought was a friend.

The disappointment of being overlooked.

The health issue we never expected.

The betrayal of someone we trusted.

The unexpected job loss.

The sting of rejection.

As the stone hits the windscreen we are prompted to respond. Instead of bringing the situation to God, seeking His wisdom and guidance, we often let our feelings determine our actions. We react to the shock of the stone hitting our life and avoid getting the support we need to heal from the experience. We make decisions to manage on our own, working around the hurt and ignoring its cause. Slowly, fear or insecurity or anxiety or bitterness or pride or (fill in the blank) creep across our perspective and become the filter through which we view our lives.

We can work around it for so long but as soon as a test comes along our distorted perspective won’t sustain us, and the cracks begin to show.

"Wisdom makes decisions today that will still be good tomorrow."

Lysa Terkeurst

During the 40 days of wisdom process, I have repeatedly been reminded of the truth of Lysa Terkeurst’s words. The very nature of wisdom is to take a step back, reflect on the situation and choose a course of action that has long-term benefits, rather than fulfilling a short-term need. Proverbs 2:6 says that “the Lord gives wisdom,” but often, in the moments when we are hurting,  words about forgiveness are difficult to hear. In the moments of doubt, words about trust don’t sit comfortably. When facing uncertainty, the plans God has for us seem a long way off. 

Over the last couple of months, God has been teaching me about the importance of seeking His wisdom and letting Him guide my choices. In the well-known verses of 1 Corinthians 13, we discover the characteristics of love, but what if these words were describing wisdom?

The twenty-eight scripture verses I have explored so far suggest it would read something like this:

Wisdom is considerate and peace-loving.

Wisdom is not foolish or rash or proud or unforgiving.

It does not delight in airing its own opinion.

It makes the most of every opportunity and willingly takes advice from others.

It does not linger in the past and cherishes life in the present.  

Wisdom speaks with grace, never encourages division, is always sincere and bears good fruit.

As God continues to repair the chip on my windscreen, I am discovering that with His help I can live out these words of scripture:

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."

Proverbs 31:25-26

By the way, in the middle of writing this blog, I checked to see if I could sort out the repair of my windscreen online. No word of a lie, it took five minutes. They’re coming on Friday!

Wisdom would have sorted this weeks ago!

Kay Moorby