Wisdom?

Journal Entry--Thursday 2-9-2012

I’ve always heard of King Soloman and of his legendary wisdom but listening to the first reading (1Kgs 11:4-13). I couldn’t help but question just how wise was he?  

“When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,”…

“By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,

and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,

Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;”…

“Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,

and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,

on the hill opposite Jerusalem.

He did the same for all his foreign wives

who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

How smart was that?  And how many foreign and/or domestic wives did he have?  I don’t see the wisdom in that.  There are days I question the wisdom in having one wife.  But then I must remember God has strange ways.  For it appears that: Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was ugly, Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid, Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, John the Baptist ate bugs, Peter denied Christ, The Disciples fell asleep while praying, Martha worried about everything, The Samaritan woman was divorced…more than once, Zaccheus was too small, Paul was too religious, Timothy had an ulcer, AND Lazarus was dead!

So maybe he has a plan for me…a sleepy, aging, daydreamer who worries about everything.

Thank you Lord Jesus for putting up with me,

For You are the one who paid the fee,

So this is my prayer…this is my plea,

Help me become who you want me to be.

Amen.