By Jonathan Keller
Wise people often appear with grayed hairs and flowy clothing, their wrinkles marking the course of time. I’m becoming convinced that monkeys demonstrate wisdom far better.
“A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to weep, and a time to laugh.” I took these words from Ecclesiastes to mean that each of these times unfolded like wide prairies with transitional grasses between them. Babies take a while to be born. Even with sudden tragedies, there is a cascade of events around someone’s death. Crying takes several boxes of tissues. Laughter clutches one’s stomach.
What do I do when these times happen at the same time?
En route to console a dying man, I catch wind of a new birth complete with adorable pictures. My mind searches for eternal hope for the one who grasps onto the last threads of life meted out for him by the Lord. The two of us laugh in between coughs.
I scurry back to my house, ready to ward off my castle from invading critters. Pre-meditating the death of tiny arthropods distracts me from meditating on the miracle of human birth. Taking my deadly paper tower roll as my bludgeon, I decimate the remnants of the insect army as I ponder how I might come alongside the new family. Fried earwigs might not appease their taste buds.
The Monkey’s Wisdom for When Every Time is at the Same Time
A monkey is far more fit to jump between all these life experiences. His limbs are fit to grasp onto trees and vines of various sizes, his eyes ready to pick out small grub for his fill, and his voice ready to adjust between friend and foe.
Wisdom is not knowing all things. Wisdom is the proper use of one’s knowledge in the due course of time.
As the Lord flings us between many conflicting experiences at a moment’s notice, consider the wisdom of the monkey. He may understand little about life’s larger purposes, let alone paper towels, but he knows what is proper for him to do for each of his small tasks. Ask for wisdom when you have need so that you may have all you need for every time and every season under the sun.