Better Than Gold 胜过黄金

[Dexu Xia]

 [Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. Proverbs 3:18

When gold seeker Edward Jackson set out for California during the Great Gold Rush in the US, his diary entry on May 20, 1849, lamented his grueling wagon journey, marked by disease and death. “O do not leave my bones here,” he wrote. “If possible let them lay at home.” Another gold-seeker named John Walker penned, “It is the most complete lottery that you can imagine . . . . I cannot advise any person to come.”

Walker, in fact, returned home and succeeded at farming, ranching, and state politics. When a family member took Walker’s yellowing letters to the American TV program Antiques Roadshow, they were valued at several thousand dollars. Said the TV host, “So he did get something valuable out of the Gold Rush. The letters.”

Even more, both Walker and Jackson returned home after gaining wisdom that caused them to take hold of a more practical life. Consider these words about wisdom from King Solomon, “Blessed are those who find wisdom . . . . She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her” (Proverbs 3:13, 18). A wise choice is “more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” (v. 14)—making wisdom more precious than any earthly desire (v. 15).  “Long life is in her right hand . . . and all her paths are peace” (vv. 16–17). Our challenge, therefore, is to hold tight to wisdom, not shiny wishes. It’s a path God will bless.

What shiny wishes have you been chasing in life? Where could the path of wisdom take you instead?

Heavenly Father, when I’m blinded by the lure of shiny wishes, inspire me to take hold of wiser choices, walking the path of wisdom back to Your blessed peace.

 对紧握智慧的人来说，智慧是生命树。—箴言3章18节，新译本

淘金者爱德华 · 杰克逊赶上美国淘金热潮前往加州。1849年5月20日，他在日记中悲叹自己艰辛的马车之旅标记着疾病和死亡，他写道：“哦，不要让我客死异乡！若可以，就让我落叶归根吧！”另一个淘金者约翰 · 沃克则写道：“实在无法想像，纯粹是碰运气。……我绝不建议任何人来这里。”

事实上，沃克回到家乡后，在农业、牧场及参政方面都有一番成就。当沃克的家人将他泛黄的信件带到美国电视台的《鉴宝路秀》节目中时，这些信件被估计价值数千美元。节目主持人说：“在淘金热潮中，沃克确实淘出了有价值的东西，那就是这些信件。”

更重要的是，沃克和杰克逊都在淘金的经历中得着智慧，使他们回到家乡后能更踏实地生活。想想所罗门王的智慧之言：“得着智慧，……是有福的。对紧握智慧的人来说，智慧是生命树”（箴言3章13、18节，新译本）。一个明智的抉择“胜过得银子，其利益强如精金”（14节），智慧比世上一切被人渴慕的事物更加宝贵（15节）。

“智慧的右手有长寿，……智慧的路径全是平安”（16-17节，新译本）。因此我们的挑战是紧紧抓住智慧，而不是追逐金光闪闪的愿望。智慧之路才是上帝赐福的道路！

在生活中，你一直在追逐哪些闪亮的愿望？
智慧的路会带领你走向何方？

天父，当我受闪亮的愿望诱惑而被蒙蔽时，
求祢激励我把握更明智的选择，走在智慧之路，重得祢所赐的平安。