The Excellence of Wisdom

There is a saying, “ Money doesn’t buy happiness.” For multiple reasons, society seems to rank wealth with success—which may or may not be true.

Years ago, my husband almost didn’t make it to his next breath. I had sold my first two or three books to an established fifty-year-old plus publisher based in New York City. However, the books were published in hardcover, so they weren’t as lucrative as paperbacks nor as income-producing as one would have liked (one being my husband)–although the monies I earned were respectable.

We were at a party and he began introducing me to his coworkers. He said, “This is my wife, the budding author.” Not only was I offended, but the people he introduced me to were put off on my behalf. He was shocked to learn the definition of “budding” was quite different from what he had thought. What I had attained through hardwork and dedication led me to a level of success many people valued as much as or more than cash.

In my hubby’s defense, he hadn’t intended his introduction as a slight. He lived, but just barely, and he was schooled on the value of wisdom over lucre. Not all of us grow wealthy in money, but I imagine that most of us strive to become successful and rich at what truly counts.

This is at the heart of the message in Proverbs 8. In God’s eyes it is better to strive for knowledge and wisdom than to chase the dollar.

Have you been guilty of this? Using money as a mean of validation or valuation?

Merely because someone earns a lot, doesn’t mean they are a good or worthy person. I’ve seen firsthand how some people value a person’s bank account over other considerations. Spiritual wisdom leads us to happiness and understanding. Too often humanity ascribes value to income rather than far more important, and lasting, attributes, and this often leads to dissatisfaction or unhappiness. It comes at a spiritual cost.

I recently watched a TikTok video about a celebrity who years ago was introduced to Elon Musk. The celebrity had no idea who Musk was, so the celebrity assumed the man must be a fan of his, hence why the introduction was made. In reality, the opposite was true—the person doing the introductions thought the celebrity would be thrilled to meet Musk. To the celebrity, fans wanting to meet him was something that routinely happened because of his success in Hollywood. Although having fans was not a monetary valuation, it was something the celebrity associated with his own success. It wasn’t until years later that the celebrity realized the truth of the situation. Through experience he had grown wiser.

Wealth doesn’t mean the person is evil or bad intentioned. It doesn’t mean they are not good. There are people in this world who are quite wealthy but at least equally wise. Wisdom is the far more valuable asset.

8:11 “For wisdom is more precious than rubies.”