When my daughter was two years old, she enjoyed two activities: playing outside and removing her clothes. More than once, she sprinted out the front door and down our quiet residential street completely nude. Neighbors peeking from behind their blinds saw a tiny girl squealing with glee barreling down the road with her mother chasing her and yelling, “Come inside! Put on your clothes!”
Shortly after one of my daughter’s joyful escapes, a police officer rang our doorbell. “There’s been a report of a naked child in the streets,” she said. “I’m here to make sure she’s okay.” One look around our living room confirmed my daughter was well loved and nurtured, and the officer soon left, reassured. But clearly my daughter’s outdoor shenanigans had caught a neighbor’s attention!
Today’s proverb tells us Wisdom calls from the streets, and in this passage, she speaks loudly and clearly. Much as my neighbors could not help but see my jubilant toddler, Wisdom is hard to miss. Her voice is God’s voice, and the way forward is clear. Why, then, do we struggle to make decisions? Why do we worry and fret? If Wisdom is calling with all the clarity of a naked child in our front yards, why does she feel so complex and elusive?
We know what we’ve been called to do, but we fear trusting God or ourselves. We’re afraid of failure and humiliation, so we listen for a different answer. However, as today’s passage warns, we need not fear the call but rather the consequences of refusing it. God will allow us to reap the disastrous rewards of our complacency, but we can live at ease if we choose to follow God. What we need now is the courage to heed Wisdom’s call.