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Good morning. You only have to listen to the news to see that we’re living in a society that doesn’t seem to go all that big on understanding. Point-scoring politicians, attention-loving celebrities, adversarial public debates all seem to indicate that it’s not wisdom that matters so much as winning the argument.

To me, all this posturing seems to be far more about cleverness than it is about understanding.

In JM Barrie’s book, when Peter Pan loses his shadow on a visit to the Darling household, Wendy sews it back on for him. Delighted with the result, Peter declares ‘Oh the cleverness of me!’ Wendy replies ‘Of course I did nothing.’ ‘You did a little,’ Peter concedes. ‘Oh, the cleverness of you!’ replies an infuriated Wendy.

Sometimes I think we are so wrapped up in our own cleverness that we decline to see what’s really going on, and fail to seek understanding. Cleverness is easy – it’s about ego and image and what other people think of me – it’s all wrapped up in self-interest.

Wisdom and understanding, on the other hand, are about listening and being willing to truly hear. They’re about seeing below the surface, gaining insight. Far harder to obtain than cleverness, they require patience, the ability to look at the bigger picture...self dis-interest if you like.

To a world of competing interests, this doesn’t make an awful lot of sense. To a society like ours these things can be seen as foolishness: a nonsense.

But wisdom and understanding open us up to God’s guidance, allowing us to drop our defences and hear from unexpected voices. Wisdom and understanding are about seeking and enacting God’s word in God’s world.

Lord, give us patience to seek your wisdom in the cleverness of this world. Guide our attention below the surface to gain true understanding. Amen.