Think about an engagement ring. That is an item that is purchased for a large sum of money. And not only that, but after that initial purchase, the item gains meaning for us. Not only is it something that is purchased at a great personal, financial cost, but it’s also something that has a great deal of symbolism that heightens the value of the ring. It’s a symbol of love, of a vow, a commitment, and a covenant between two people. Those things make that ring priceless. 

Now imagine, after all that intrinsic and irreplaceable value, would you suddenly turn around and sell that engagement ring at a garage sale? Probably not. A garage sale is where items of a much lesser value are sold, and no one is going to pay the price that a diamond ring is worth standing in your driveway. That would be grossly undercutting the worth of it.

Wisdom comes with experience. For the most part, that’s what we believe– that the longer you live, the more wisdom you have. It’s not a wrong line of thinking, as throughout our lives, the things we go through teach us something; so experiences hone wisdom because the knowledge was gained through living. 

But Godly wisdom isn’t just this passively gained thing as we go through life. It doesn’t happen by osmosis. Godly wisdom is something gained through active pursuit. It’s an intentional process that costs us something in order to receive and apply it.