But it’s still not easy to act wisely. Last night my daughter forgot to upload the sketch for the Crossroad message that had to be sent out. A couple of thousand e-mails already sent – without the sketch.

I didn’t take this well. Immediately, I lost my cool and the net effect on the people around me, and on me, was not so good. So just after three I got up and started working.

Looking back at the affair I realised that my response didn’t show much wisdom. And there was even less wisdom in the way I tried to solve the matter. The proof is clearly found in the foolish consequences.

I’m reminded of the verse I’m working on: ⁹Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works.

Aha, I missed that middle bit. The part about asking God for “wise minds and spirits attuned to his will”. And after losing it that way last night, I once again realise I cannot make it on my own. On my own I am destructive and the people closest to me get hurt the most. Does this happen with you too? Now I’m looking for buddies to help me get over the guilt.

And why didn’t I have a wise mind and a spirit attuned to God’s will? Clearly, He didn’t show me the way well enough. Was He asleep or simply not doing his job?

That is typical of people. We always want to blame someone else. We’re not the guilty part, o no. Because someone else did something we fell into the hole.

I suspect the Holy Spirit did show the way, but I was in too much of an uproar to see it. Walking and tripping in the past have shown me that the Holy Spirit doesn’t shout. He doesn’t want to take over and make our decisions for us. No, quietly and calmly He gives advice when necessary. But if we don’t become quiet and calm ourselves, we’ll miss it and will have to take responsibility for the consequences of our actions ourselves.

The world out there is noisy. Like the old radios that used to work with a knob. If the radio wasn’t tuned to a station, all you heard was a hissing noise. Then you had to turn the knob slowly to find a station. As you turned the knob and the radio slowly came on the right wavelength, the sound became clearer and more audible until you could clearly hear every word.

But sometimes you could turn that knob in any direction and not find a station. The area might have been rough with a mountain or two in the way. The only way you could listen to the rugby on Saturday was to take that transistor radio up the mountain to where it was still and quiet and the signal was not blocked by anything.

This may be a good suggestion for all of us who in the everyday running around cannot hear much of the Holy Spirit. Maybe we should go to a place where the hissing and noise of the world is less and where there is no blockage. Then we will be able to tune into the Holy Spirit’s station and clearly hear how we need to walk every step of the way daily.

Scripture

Colossians 1:9-11

Reflection

Do you get angry sometimes?

What are the consequences?

What does the Holy Spirit say?

Prayer

Our Father, thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit as guide. Thank you that we don’t have to walk through the world alone, because we can’t make it. Please help us to be still and to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Amen.