When you encounter a decision point, where do you turn for help? In the book, God Is, Mallory Wyckoff shares her insight that we may learn to tap into the Wisdom within the Self. She writes, “This innate wisdom is a powerful coalescence of divine source and our individual, unique, beautiful personhood. It is both within us and beyond us. It is ours and it is everyone’s. It is old and new. It is our birthright as human beings made in the image of God. It requires our participation, our willingness to believe that we really are capable of possessing wisdom within and listening to it.”
The journey of connecting to this Wisdom is not a simple one. For Wyckoff it involved spirituality, therapy, failures, and relationships on the path to greater self-awareness. In this she was not a pioneer but a pilgrim on a journey many have trod. “A thread that ties the world's religions together is they consistent stream of awareness this insistence on waking up to yourself and paying attention.”
This path is as old as the Book of Proverbs, which personifies God's work as the Woman of Wisdom in chapter 8. Listening to Her is vital. "Happy is the one who listens to me... for whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord" (8:34-35).
Process theology grounds this in the work of God which underlies every thought as a “nonsensory prehension,” like memory, a flash of insight, or an awe-moment which is not mediated through the five senses but profoundly real. God constantly influences us toward the best in the situation, luring us in collaboration for good. Wyckoff wrote, “I hear a Voice that grounds me, guides me, moves me, compels me, roots me.”
We can join in this pursuit of Wisdom by asking of ourselves, Have there been experiences where you knew something deep inside, or realized something about yourself that helped you in a hard time? How can I cultivate the listening awareness that hears Wisdom at this decision point?
Mallory Wyckoff, God Is. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2022.
(Photo G. Rakozy on unsplash.com)
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