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Wisdom


A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse’s stump, from his roots a budding Branch. The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding, The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
- Isaiah 11:1-2, The Message

Where have you seen hope spring up in unexpected places? This day, watch for the life-giving breath of God in your midst, that brings wisdom and understanding.

Desmond Tutu had inspirational words about Nelson Mandela that are fitting of Advent.  "Nelson Mandela embodied and reflected our collective greatness. He embodied our hopes and our dreams. He symbolized our enormous potential, potential that has not always been fulfilled."

The wisdom we need in this world during Advent is the wisdom of our "collective greatness."  We are not alone in this world.  Together we can make the changes we hope we wish to see.  If we wait for one single person, it's not going to happen.

This week I found hope in my students.  One of their activities was reading a Nanabosho picture book.  They were to read it with a partner while looking for the moral and uniqueness of the story.  Adorable.  Hopeful.  Our future.  Each group had two books on their desk.  I numbered them off by two, and each group was to read one of the books.  7th graders sat side by side reading aloud to each other.  One young man even figured out that him and his partner could share their extra book with another group and in return get their extra book.  Wisdom.  Even though they each had their own book, they continued to share the story aloud.  Sometimes the real wisdom is found in the youth.

Comments

LH said…
I just did some reading about Nanabosho. Cool series of books I'd never heard about before, so thanks for that.

And thanks for Tutu quote. Our collective greatness is a wonderful phrase. I'm not pulling my weight these days in contributing to our collective greatness, but maybe today I'll get some focus and wisdom. There's always a chance.
2:13 AM
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