These guys were “outsiders” hunting deer.
A high-powered pickup towing a classy trailer loaded with two expensive all-terrain vehicles had pulled off the state highway to gas up at the only gasoline pumps in our little town. These men were not rude, just spoke little. Hunting whitetail deer was preeminent in their thoughts. Never would they have guessed the short, retired schoolteacher saw deer on a regular basis without even looking through a rifle sight. How could they have known this nondescript female could point out a meadow where she had counted fifteen deer one snowy morning?
King Solomon told of a little city that was being threatened. A wise but poor man provided a strategy to rescue the city from certain destruction. Yet no one recognized what a contribution the poor man’s astute plan had made to their entire population’s safety.
Many times, we discount wise people who God brings across our path: an elderly person with a halting voice, a middle-aged woman restricted to a wheelchair, a precious preschooler, or a battle-worn man in a soup kitchen. They may have learned greatly from their experience of following the Lord and studying His Word. Their wisdom may have been gained by initially making poor choices. The wheelchair-bound individual learned from adversity thrust into her successful life. The elderly gained wisdom by proving God’s promises through life experiences—both negative and positive. And the little child simply lived her life with the innocence Jesus said we should model.
As we go through our days, pause and listen each time God brings wisdom from an unlikely source rather than judge His use of people based on their appearance, age, societal status, or any other stereotypical categorization.
God’s wisdom comes in unlikely forms. Don’t miss it!
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Bernadean J. Gates, a retired elementary teacher, resides with her mother—a wickedly sharp 92-year-old, on her mother’s farm. Bernadean cares for their small herd of cattle. Her collaboration with her deceased father entitled Okie over Europe—recounting his military experience as a B-17 upper turret gunner, was published just prior to his death in 2015. She has been published in numerous periodicals, a short story anthology, and on her blogsite at https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com.