Verse of the Day for August 5

With all thy getting get understanding. The phrase assumes something. It assumes you are already getting.

Getting is what most days are made of. Getting the children to school, getting stock for the shop, getting the rent together, getting a reply from the client. Solomon does not tell his son to stop all that and go up a mountain. He says, in the middle of all your getting, get this as well.

That is good news for an ordinary day. Wisdom is not reserved for retreats. It is gathered at the same time as everything else, the way a trader in a busy market keeps one ear on the customer and one eye on the scale.

And wisdom is spoken of as a person here, someone you love and embrace: Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. You do not just study her. You keep company with her, and she keeps you.

Pick one ordinary errand today. Between the traffic and the shopping list, ask what understanding this moment could give you. Patience with the slow cashier, honesty about the price, attention to the person in front of you. Get that along with the groceries.

Wisdom does not ask you to leave your errands. It asks to come along.

The most ordinary day still has something to teach the person who is listening.