When you encounter a decision point, where do you turn for help? I most often turn to research and reflection, making Pro/Con lists. I’ve known others who talk to mentors or even throw the Bible open to a random passage to find direction. In the book, God Is, Mallory Wyckoff shares her insight that we may learn to tap into the Wisdom within the Self. She writes, “This innate wisdom is a powerful coalescence of divine source and our individual, unique, beautiful personhood. It is both within us and beyond us. It is ours and it is everyone’s. It is old and new. It is our birthright as human beings made in the image of God. It requires our participation, our willingness to believe that we really are capable of possessing wisdom within and listening to it.”[1]
The journey of connecting to this Wisdom is not a simple one. For Wyckoff it involved spirituality, therapy, failures, and relationships on the path to greater self-awareness. In this she was not a pioneer but a pilgrim on a journey many have trod. “A thread that ties the world's religions together is the consistent stream of awareness this insistence on waking up to yourself and paying attention.”[2] Christians will recognize the invitation of Jesus to this process of seeking and following Wisdom, “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”[3]
Perhaps you can remember an experience where you knew something deep inside, or realized something about yourself that helped you in a hard time? Cassidy Hutchinson’s story gripped the attention of the nation in 2022 when she detailed lying to the House January 6 Committee under the influence of lawyers loyal to former President Trump. Later, she struggled with a profound ethical dilemma, facing the betrayal of her own values and loyalty to America. Listening to this inner wisdom, she testified about the truth in bombshell revelations that led to the Committee concluding Trump was the driving force behind the insurrection riot on January 6.[4]
This path is as old as the Book of Proverbs, which personifies God as the Woman of Wisdom in chapter 8. Listening to Her is vital. "Happy is the one who listens to me... for whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord."[5] God is the ever-present oracle, offering to us ways of living that bring well-being. Within each of us is a presence of God, active to present opportunities for positivity each moment. As Wyckoff asserts, “God is willing to reside within bodies… Wisdom has been ours from the very beginning.”[6]
Process theology grounds this in the work of God which underlies every thought. Philosophers Alfred North Whitehead and David Ray Griffin posit that God provides an “initial aim” that offers to each moment the opportunity of embodying God’s essence and increased value toward the highest outcome possible. This continual influence connects to our mental processes while we are considering the next idea, word, or behavior. Though we may not consciously realize this divine influence, the lure toward positive, life-enhancing choices is present for us to affirm or resist.[7] In more poetic terms, Wyckoff writes, “I hear a Voice that grounds me, guides me, moves me, compels me, roots me.” [8]
How can we respond to this amazing resource? Cultivating an awareness of Wisdom within requires careful reflection on our self-understanding, our beliefs, the great traditions of faith, and the community around us. Often the response begins when we face a challenging situation or decision. A choice must be made at the junction of the moment. What word is best? What action should I take? What belief best guides me in this experience? We find Wisdom as we discover our “truest self” then courageously listen.
The tools to access the best choice include self-awareness, prayer, therapy, mentoring, and (Ugh!) trial-and-error! Self-awareness means the capacity to step out of our skin and honestly appraise who we are. Perhaps we are tempted to replay what Mom did or run from something that hurt us years ago. Looking at ourselves from “outside” can give a larger perspective than our immediate reaction. We may realize some revisions of our ideas are needed. Theologian Ilea Delio writes we must give up some of our own perspectives to access Wisdom, making “a radical surrender and complete letting go, trusting the spiritual impulses of life….Letting go into God is coming home to our true selves, where we discover that our root reality is infinite divine love, and in love, we are eternally free.”[9]
Talking with trusted companions may bring new perspectives. Some may have faced a similar situation and can share what they did. The community has a reservoir of life experience that broadens our limited one. This includes the guidance of therapy or coaching to bring some expertise developed by focused learning and reflection. Locating the help of the Biblical witness, when carefully studied beyond a simple proof-text, is a vital resource.
While we want each decision to be just right, the reality of trial-and-error is hard to avoid! Every scientist knows the hypothesis must be tested. We make the best choice and then assess what has happened, ready to revise and seek the best again. We remember we are not alone in the journey with the divine Teacher that actively works at every moment to draw us to well-being. Staying with the process is necessary.
The way of Wisdom may not be easy, but the outcome is worth it. In the ancient words of the Hebrew’s divine woman of Wisdom, “Whoever finds me finds life!”
[1] Mallory Wyckoff, God Is. Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing, 2022. P 105
[2] Ibid, p 98
[3] Matthew 7:7-8 NRSVUE
[4] Alex Seitz-Wald. NBC News, December 2, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/cassidy-hutchinson-knew-was-going-nuked-turning-trump-anyway-rcna62981
[5] Proverbs 8:34-35, NRSVUE
[6] Wyckoff, p 104
[7] David Ray Griffin, Reenchantment without Supernatualism. Cornell University Press, 2001. (p 179-181)
[8] Wyckoff, p 105
[9] Ilia Delio, “Falling Inward, Falling Upward: God, Self, and the Liberation of Love,” Oneing 11, no. 2, Falling Upward (Fall 2023): 49–50.
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