Wisdom looks really different in different contexts and I’ve had a mosaic of wisdom around me growing up. I’ve come to believe that all wisdom is good and the collective wisdom in our universe is a reflection of its creator. Although that statement in itself requires a fair bit of unpacking, it makes a lot of sense to glean wisdom from as many wise sources as possible. They all reflect their creator in some way. Here’s a short list of wise people I’ve known that contribute to who I am today.

Church Pastor – There were so many people around me in my early years that shaped the common sense wisdom that I carry with me to this day. That said, there was one type of conversation that went beyond the normal. I was a pretty nerdy spiritual type from my earliest recollections. I soaked up every spiritual idea that came my way. I added each one to my framework of truth or discarded it as misguided or evil. There were a few times I got seriously stumped as to where an idea belonged. I had come across a really compelling spiritual concept or practice but had a deep gut feel that it wasn’t helpful. It was these times that I reached out to spiritual leaders. I spent a disproportionate amount of time with pastors and other spiritual leaders as a kid, learning ways to sort through the ideas around me.

My Dad – From an early time my Dad had me thinking about the concepts of building things and creating value. For him, almost anything was a possible business venture. He taught me to buy young pigs and grow them into big ones that people found more valuable. He paid me by the hour for activities that added value to his world or to his customers. He also showed me the pain of business gone wrong when bankruptcy wrecked his world. My Dad and I didn’t have a lot of heart to heart conversations but he definitely grew my wisdom.

My Mom – I was the oldest of 4 kids, so my childhood years were always in the context of my Mom having a lot going on. It’s amazing to me now that she extended as much grace and latitude as she did. She somehow knew that I needed my space and would let me wander off into the bush for hours at a time without apparent concern. I also distinctly remember a time in junior high when my 80’s cut off sleeve, rock band shirt was not her first choice of school attire for me. She had rules for me to follow but in that case she let me make my choices in spite of what the uncles and aunts counselled her to do.

Community Rink Crew – I was part of a pretty small and separate church community in my youngest years. We didn’t interact with the larger community to any extent. Any community sports team involvement sparked a dramatic conversation in our small church. The teenagers who were probably 10 years ahead of me in age decided they needed recreation. They collected old fence boards and light sockets to make themselves a full sized hockey rink. An old wood granary with a wood stove served as a skate shack. Although I don’t know the half of what they got into, their drive and ability to build something cool in the midst of significant limitation still inspires me.

High School Choir Conductor – I went to a public secular high school with a choir program. I was a musical participant who was eager to sing. This was quite a stretch from my early years of isolated and sheltered church community. Two nuggets of wisdom came out of my choir experience. First, our conductor was able to pull emotions out of our teenage experience to bring meaning to musical works. This is when I started to realize that not everything spiritual comes from church. The second bit of wisdom was how very diverse abilities and talent came together as one voice to make something beautiful. This wisdom would take years to take a deep hold on my life. Diversity does make things more beautiful, even though it’s usually harder to do.

Youth Leaders – In my high school years the independent thinking I had learned as a kid started to show up as leadership gifting. Raw leadership without amazing people skills is sometimes hard to watch or even make room for. The leaders of my youth communities allowed me that opportunity to lead. The skills that I developed in those years still serve me today. Thanks to those brave and grace filled mentors.

Jesus – I never stop seeing new insights in the ways of Jesus the Christ. I haven’t met him physically but I’m thankful to those around him that recorded his incredible wisdom in the Christian Bible. As his wisdom continues to take root in my soul, I experience the freedom he talked about and I sense his presence with me even today.

In all of this I trust that others have seen in me the Creator’s wisdom as I channel it from those before me.