For Your Eyes Only

“Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.” (Pr 24:32 AV)

Here’s a man that doesn’t let an observation go to waste.  This is perhaps an aspect of the wisdom which the LORD bestowed upon our brother Solomon.  Wisdom learns.  Wisdom adapts.  Wisdom applies.  Wisdom studies.  This is more than mere academics.  When we talk of study, we do not mean the simple ascertaining of facts for the purpose of curiosity.  No.  That to which Solomon is referring is observing, meditating, and applying for the express purpose of being a better person.  In context, he is referring to the poor judgment of another.  He considers the condition of a field that is neglected and the ramification of lost profit and increased labor.  He allows his observations to speak to him.  Not for the purpose of condemning others for their poor judgment, but rather, as a means to critique himself.

To give a comparison, imagine an academic who studies something we would consider such a specialty it would puzzle us as to why someone would no so much about such a subject.  Every once in a while, by some TV program or article I read, this strikes me as odd.  A student who may be doing their doctoral theses on the growth of tooth enamel on indigenous rats of the European suburbs.  Really?  What would possess someone to be super interested in rat enamel?  But there probably is some grad student as we speak who knows everything there is to know about vermin teeth.  He watches and observes.  He does lab experiments with different diets and environmental factors.  All this just because he is curious.  He sees it.  He considers it.  But is it wisdom?  Or is it academics?  However, if in his investigations he discovers a behavior of the rat that reveals how the rat’s teeth are made stronger which can be applied to his own oral hygiene, this shows wisdom.  He observes the routine a rat may go through to care for his incisors and finds a flaw in his own practice.  This is an observation that makes a difference.

We have the ability, unlike almost all other creatures, to learn from the actions of others.  At least we learn by reason and deduction.  God made us this way.  However, we go about life and see what we see without taking the time to meditate upon and apply what we see.  We see both positive and negative.  We see a child being pushed on a swing by a new father and notice he is a bit unsafe in the altitude he has chosen.  We make a judgment.  But how does that affect our lives?  We notice a careful mother who chooses to take her child out of the shopping cart first, buckle him in, and lock the doors.  Then she goes back to unload her buggy.  We notice someone on a ladder that is set too steep.  We notice someone doing a task in a bit of a different way than we would and realize it was a smarter way to accomplish the same end.  Observation is a powerful tool the LORD gave us at birth.  Yet, we are too busy or to self-reliant to allow the successes and failures of others to be our teacher.  Jeremiah was another like Solomon.  He never let an observation go to waste.  Everything is a curiosity.  Not for the mere fact of gathering facts, but to examine one’s own ways and thinking, to make changes as needed.  So, slow down.  Open your eyes and ears.  Every experience is a learning experience.  Not just consider it.  Consider it well.