The Snowflake Chronicles

Knowledge

7 Ilm 163 B.E. - October 22, 2006

It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever--the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it. - Vince Lombardi

It takes knowledge to recognize the challenge. We often define challenges problems, evils, harms, troubles, or tribulations. Therefore, we need knowledge to redefine the problems and make them challenges. Perhaps knowledge is the wrong word here; maybe wisdom is better when it comes to redefining problems to challenges.

It’s interesting that when you look in a Thesaurus one of the nouns used for knowledge is wisdom. The truth is I’m not sure they are the same thing. At least not in the beginning, not when a person first begins to acquire knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom, under certain circumstances, can result from knowledge or can result in knowledge.

Ilm is the month of Knowledge. What have I learned about myself in the past nineteen months? Actually, I’m not sure I’ve learned a great deal. I keep encountering different versions of the same test repeatedly. Tests I thought I had passed. Perhaps I haven’t passed them. There could be some spiritual message I’m missing.

Tests and difficulties are to instruct the soul. To teach a person about herself and build trust in God. When I’m confronted with different versions of the same test over again, it usually means I haven’t pass it the first time. Although, it could mean something else as well, perhaps I’m too close to the situation to know what it means.

OK, I’ve got to admit that part of my problem is my self-talk. I talk myself into being depressed. Once the clouds … the fog rolls in then I don’t look for the light any more. I just let the darkness get deeper and deeper. This is unnecessary because all I have to do is open my prayer book and read one of my favorite prayers. Prayer always changes my attitude.