During my younger years, I believed I was wiser than most. Surely, at least, wise enough. I thought I knew the motives of other’s better than they knew themselves. I had the power to foresee outcomes. I easily justified my poor choices and decisions. I thought I was above reproach. I was selfish in many ways. Knowing what I know now, I acknowledge that many of my life decisions came from a deep place of pain…which I had sadly mistaken as wisdom.
How many of you entered adulthood as a broken mess? Messed up from childhood. I have only known a handful of people throughout my life who had, what I would call, an ideal childhood. That’s pretty sad. I didn’t even realize until much later in life, just how broken I was. My brokenness carried over into my adulthood and into the family I began. That’s not an excuse. It’s just fact.
I thought I was pretty wise. Or, at least wise enough. I couldn’t wait to get out of my family home to prove to my parents just how wise I was. I wanted some things to be completely different from how I was raised. But, honestly, I handed my children pretty much the same dysfunction that I thought I had left behind.
This earthly journey is anything but a cakewalk. Wisdom comes from our life experiences. From trial and error. From the good and the bad. From successes and from failures. From getting knocked down and getting back up. Again and again. Sadly, we rely mostly upon our own wisdom which can be twisted and finagled to fit whatever suits our own desires. So, it’s not really wisdom at all.
I have many favorite verses in the Bible, but the ones that stand out most powerful to me are found in Proverbs 3. This is my go-to scripture and what I quote most often. It helps to ground me.
Proverbs 3: 5-7a
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Be not wise in your own eyes…
I have grown. I’ve had to face the realities of life lived. I’ve had to learn hard lessons. I still don’t have all the answers and sometimes I am confronted with backlash from my past. But, gratefully, each new day is one step forward into the light.
Remember this…if you dwell on the poor wisdom of your past, it becomes an anchor, an intentional tool of Satan, to keep you in a state of brokenness, and to prevent you from taking that daily step forward into the light.
Listen, learn, forgive yourself. Soak up all the godly wisdom you can on this journey. View your past as a stepping stone that has brought you to where you are today. And let God’s wisdom supersede your own. 
These are my words of wisdom for the day.
♥️
Andi
Coffee with Andi 
I think it’s a vicious circle. Our parents thought they were doing better than their parents and we thought we were doing better than ours but I’m sure our children will think they do better than us.
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i can identify with all of this. you’ve expressed this entire cycle with much clarity Andi and many times, the only way you can understand it is through the lens of time and getting tempered.
But one thing I will say is that many of us come geared to try and provide goodness and shelter for those we love, it’s just that we’re made unconscious (even the most resourced of us) of adult life’s logistics. And as a result, we often fall prey to circumstances that present as good solutions.
In short, we are often outgunned by the prevailing status quo. In that spirit, it is a gift for us to forgive ourselves. Mike
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Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. Forgiving others is often much easier than forgiving yourself. I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.
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Oh yes, I rmember when I was young and knew everything! Thank God I grew up!
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I was blessed with a relatively normal, happy childhood… but there were still times of turbulence, of lingering resentment over perceived wrongs, an overly heavy hand by my folks. My approach to raising my three kids was to try to keep all the things that my folks (IMO) got right and dump the bummers. But after some real-life parenting, I came to realize they might have been right 😂
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At least you can admit it. 😂 No parent is perfect. That’s for sure. Thanks for your comment! ☀️
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