{"id":54394,"date":"2026-08-31T06:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=54394"},"modified":"2026-08-29T13:23:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T19:23:53","slug":"cfm-9-7-9-13-thoughts-and-poetry-for-he-shall-direct-thy-paths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2026\/08\/cfm-9-7-9-13-thoughts-and-poetry-for-he-shall-direct-thy-paths\/","title":{"rendered":"CFM 9\/7-9\/13: Thoughts and Poetry for \u201cHe Shall Direct Thy Paths\u201d<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

What is wisdom exactly? Is it the ability to think clearly in a moral context? Is it something that we are learning here on this earth? Is it something that should eventually be independent of our Heavenly Parents? Or is it, by nature, listening to Them?<\/p>\n

Thinking in this vein, the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes complicate the question. As compilations of sayings likely collected from many sources, they represent a collective wisdom, learned by both experience and inspiration. Their inclusion in the canon of scripture suggests that wisdom is something that can be collected and passed on, in addition to something that involves how we think about life and problems. Whatever was originally inspired by God has been refined and restated by many people, and is now in a form that provides us with further inspiration.<\/p>\n

So, is the wisdom there learned by generations of wise men, or is it inspiration from God? Perhaps the question is part of the problem, because the question assumes that wisdom is either from wise men or from God. Can\u2019t it be both? I\u2019m not sure that inspiration is something that can be neatly divided into what comes from God and what comes from us. Given that we\u2019re not really independent of others in this life, I\u2019m not even sure that we will ever be truly independent, not even in the next life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIncline thine ear unto wisdom.\u201d<\/h2>\n

When we seek wisdom, as this suggestion suggests, we are looking for one of the most valuable gifts we can obtain in this life, since its value often extends beyond this life into the next life. While such wisdom might not come directly from God, we might ask how we can trust it if it doesn\u2019t come from above? How would any earthly source of wisdom know things that are of a heavenly nature?<\/p>\n

In this poem, Eliza R. Snow praises the value of wisdom and explains its value, suggesting that wisdom isn\u2019t deceptive (\u2018has no false attraction\u2019) and doesn\u2019t seek control. In addition, she observes that our current age benefits from wisdom previously not available without the restoration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Wisdom<\/h3>\n

by Eliza R. Snow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Richer than the pearls which ocean<\/p>\n
\n
Treasures in its ample bed;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Is each cherish’d, sweet emotion,<\/p>\n
\n
Wisdom gently deigns to shed.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Wisdom has no false attraction\u2014<\/p>\n
\n
Pure and spotless is her soul\u2014<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
When she stimulates to action,<\/p>\n
\n
Hers, is no usurp’d control.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Onward, Time! thy chariot hasten\u2014<\/p>\n
\n
Let the scenes of life awake;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
When their keen corrosives chasten<\/p>\n
\n
Then, I’ll smile, for Wisdom’s sake.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Welcome Age! I’ll hail our union<\/p>\n
\n
As a point replete with gain,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
If thro’ thee, a full communion<\/p>\n
\n
I, with Wisdom, shall obtain.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Bind thy wreath about my temples-<\/p>\n
\n
Place thy signet on my brow\u2014<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
On my cheek, thy furrow-dimples,<\/p>\n
\n
Plant, where blood is coursing now.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
If she loves the hoary headed,<\/p>\n
\n
Let me be what Wisdom loves;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Let my nature all be wedded<\/p>\n
\n
To whatever she approves.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
By her heav’nly precepts guided\u2014<\/p>\n
\n
With her counsel for my shield,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
All my efforts, undivided,<\/p>\n
\n
Shall, for Truth, the falchion wield.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

1842<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBe not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the most glaring and obvious error that we make after learning some kind of \u00a0wisdom is the accompanying pride in our accomplishment. We think that somehow our obtaining knowledge itself makes us wise. In the scriptures, the problem is not only clear, but clearly condemned.<\/p>\n

The following poem suggests that the remedy is not ignorance, but more knowledge. True wisdom is more than simply gaining knowledge \u2014 it is understanding when and how to use that knowledge.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Learn More<\/h3>\n

by Viva Huish Ray<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,<\/dd>\n
Drink deep, or touch not the Pierian Spring.”<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
We must learn more.<\/dd>\n
‘Tis not enough that we behold the growth of years,<\/dd>\n
Or read the lore<\/dd>\n
In tomes, piled high by ancient masters wrought,<\/dd>\n
Whose yellow pages mark the slow progress of time<\/dd>\n
That long before our day<\/dd>\n
Have gathered to themselves a wealth of thought;<\/dd>\n
And lightly skim them as the swallow skims the sky.<\/dd>\n
‘Tis not the whole of life, to live and die.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
We have climbed well,<\/dd>\n
And left behind the vale of ignorance and doubt<\/dd>\n
Where nations fell<\/dd>\n
Enchained and fettered by Tradition’s hand.<\/dd>\n
We have harked the voice of knowledge<\/dd>\n
Like a bell ring out<\/dd>\n
Until her light of Freedom warmed the land.<\/dd>\n
And midway standing, we, twixt gloom and sun,<\/dd>\n
Why pause we thus and wist the guerdon won?<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Do you not know<\/dd>\n
Oh man of Science, nature wise and grim,<\/dd>\n
As through slow,<\/dd>\n
Long years you trace her works with eyes half blind,<\/dd>\n
If satisfied you stand denying any hand save Chance,<\/dd>\n
The one-celled amoeba<\/dd>\n
Its genesis shall tell from shore to shore?<\/dd>\n
Seek further till at last you come to know<\/dd>\n
Man’s wisdom cannot make a seed to grow.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
‘Twere all in vain!<\/dd>\n
Achievement’s triumph, Invention’s wondrous gifts<\/dd>\n
Were little gain<\/dd>\n
When they but aid mankind to lay their brothers low;<\/dd>\n
When thirst for knowledge turns to thirst for blood;<\/dd>\n
While bitter pain and woe<\/dd>\n
Like scourges dire, the land and sea o’erflow.<\/dd>\n
They learned to skim the air, the waters span,<\/dd>\n
Yet learned they not The Brotherhood of Man<\/i>.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Oh haste the Day<\/dd>\n
When man shall drop his egotistic pride<\/dd>\n
And once more lay<\/dd>\n
His hard earned laurels at the throne of Grace,<\/dd>\n
And still toil on, nor satisfied, but ever on.<\/dd>\n
He then will say: “Creator,<\/dd>\n
Throughout the universe Thy hand I trace,<\/dd>\n
With eye and brain Thy mysteries I behold,<\/dd>\n
Yet can I not a millionth part unfold.”<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

1916<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTrust in the Lord with all thine heart.\u201d<\/h2>\n

So where does all this leave us with the Lord? The scriptures make clear that acquiring knowledge can be a problem if it leads to pride. And the worst version of that pride is when we loose trust in the Lord \u2014 when we think we don\u2019t need the Lord\u2019s perspective; when we think we can do things ourselves.<\/p>\n

This is true even when we know the territory well. In her paean to Utah below, Lu Dalton suggests that even knowing the geography and benefits of the land isn\u2019t enough without a trust in God. Even when under the persecution of others, Dalton suggests, wisdom is relying on God instead of our own knowledge.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The Sacred Trust<\/h3>\n

by Lu Dalton<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Thou dear rugged land, full of frowns and smiles,<\/p>\n
\n
Secreted and hidden away,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Like a rough-hewn gem which its owner designs<\/p>\n
\n
To burnish at some future day.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
With secret rejoicing he knows its vast worth,<\/p>\n
\n
And hoards it with reverent care,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Till, ready to dazzle all eyes on the earth,<\/p>\n
\n
He sets it \u2019mid all that is fair.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Thus, Utah, thy guardian hid thee away,<\/p>\n
\n
And gave thee a look to repel<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
The eyes of beholders who hither might stray;<\/p>\n
\n
The secret thou never didst tell,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
That bountiful gifts in thy bosom were stored,<\/p>\n
\n
Awaiting the glad, coming day<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
When sweetly would come the kind word of thy Lord,<\/p>\n
\n
O doors of my treasures, give way.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
All bare lay thy vales ‘neath the sun’s angry glare,<\/p>\n
\n
Unblessed by the quickening rain;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thy few meagre streamlets, like some timid hare,<\/p>\n
\n
Appeared and soon vanished again;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thy brief, sultry summers made haste to be gone,<\/p>\n
\n
With frost pressing eagerly nigh;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thy long bitter winters came sullenly on,<\/p>\n
\n
Benumbing lake, mountain and sky.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
A land undesirable, barren and cold,<\/p>\n
\n
Unfriendly, forbidding and dry,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
No corn, wine, nor olives, no silver nor gold<\/p>\n
\n
Displayed to tempt man’s roving eye;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
The curse of Gomorrah seemed hovering o’er<\/p>\n
\n
To blight thee and burn thee to dust;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
But thou, uncomplaining, within thy closed door,<\/p>\n
\n
Satst patiently keeping thy trust.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
His own He led hither, a-hungered and lone,<\/p>\n
\n
And labor he gave as a key<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
To open His storehouse and take for their own,<\/p>\n
\n
Whatever their needs well might be.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And blessed He their labor an hundred fold,<\/p>\n
\n
And caused in its furrows to spring<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Rich harvests more precious than jasper and gold,<\/p>\n
\n
And waters with gladness to sing.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Then warm grew thy heart with its long hoarded love,<\/p>\n
\n
And tender the light of thine eyes,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thy smiles like the morning, thy voice like a dove,<\/p>\n
\n
And balmy the breath of thy skies.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Oh well didst thou comfort the weary and weak,<\/p>\n
\n
And hide in thy chambers so lone,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
The loved of thy Lord, who came hither to seek<\/p>\n
\n
For bread, and received not a stone.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
He led them to thee for a seasan of peace,<\/p>\n
\n
To rest from the rage of His foes;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Their few flocks and herds He gave wondrous increase,<\/p>\n
\n
Thy deserts the bloom of the rose.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
He poured in full measure the rain, hail, and snow,<\/p>\n
\n
To slake the mad thirst of the ground;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And troops of fair children He sent here below,<\/p>\n
\n
Like lillies upspringing around.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
The past had thy frowns, the glad present thy smiles,<\/p>\n
\n
And thanks we most gratefully pay;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
We’re rested and strengthened ‘mid thy rugged aisles;<\/p>\n
\n
We’ll bless thee forever and aye.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And well do we know thou still lovest to give,<\/p>\n
\n
And boundless thy wealth still untold,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thou’lt further enrich us if purely we live,<\/p>\n
\n
And defile not the blessings we hold.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
There be who would gladly turn us from thy door,<\/p>\n
\n
And take, on thy motherly breast,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Our place and the love thou dost lavishly pour<\/p>\n
\n
As waves o’er thy children so blest.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Ah, well do we know that thy love is our own,<\/p>\n
\n
And could not be wrested away;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thou’dst pine in deep grief if thy dear ones were gone,<\/p>\n
\n
Thy beauties would fade and decay.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Thy sorrow would drink up the life-giving streams,<\/p>\n
\n
Thy mourning to winter add gloom;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thine anguish rob summer of gladdening beams,<\/p>\n
\n
Thy bosom grow cold as a tomb;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thou knowest no law but the will of thy Lord,<\/p>\n
\n
Who journeyeth not nor doth sleep;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thou givest no gift save at His gracious word,<\/p>\n
\n
Thy trust thou wilt faithfully keep.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Dear Utah, God bless thee, who holds in His hand,<\/p>\n
\n
The coil of mysterious fate!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And if thy dear children, thy fugitive band,<\/p>\n
\n
Fall under the yoke of grim hate,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
From thee may they learn, through long seasons of death,<\/p>\n
\n
Though bowed with their lips in the dust,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
To wait in calm patience His due time on earth,<\/p>\n
\n
And keep unto god their high trust.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

1890<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA soft answer turneth away wrath.\u201d<\/h2>\n

One place where wisdom is especially valuable is during disputes. What we say can either inflame the situation or diffuse it entirely. Even not saying anything, or talking about a different topic can be the wrong approach\u2014avoiding can seem like ignoring, like pretending that there is no dispute. How to react is a skill that must be learned, a kind of wisdom that is lacking today.<\/p>\n

Poet J. W. Welch gives some good advice along these lines in the following poem, which not only urges \u2018speaking gently\u2019, but does so by focusing on the meaning and depth of our relationships. He focuses on what our relationships should mean to us, the underlying love that should be there, as a reason for \u201cspeaking gently.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Speak Gently<\/h3>\n

by J. W. Welch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
SPEAK gently to thy father,<\/p>\n
\n
For he is aged now,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
The frosts of many winters<\/p>\n
\n
Have fallen on his brow.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Soon, soon above his sleeping dust<\/p>\n
\n
The willow tree will wave;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Then try by gentle words to smooth<\/p>\n
\n
His pathway to the grave.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Speak gently to thy mother,<\/p>\n
\n
‘Twas she who gave thee birth;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
She watched o’er thee in infancy,<\/p>\n
\n
And guarded thee in youth.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
She, too, will soon be called away<\/p>\n
\n
To a better home above-<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Speak gently to thy mother<\/p>\n
\n
The words of deepest love.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Speak gently to thy sister,<\/p>\n
\n
Thee she doth fondly love,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Then never let an unkind word<\/p>\n
\n
Her gentle spirit move.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Uphold her as she roams along<\/p>\n
\n
Through life’s oft weary day,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And should she weep, with friendly hand-<\/p>\n
\n
Wipe thou her tears away.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Speak gently to thy brother,<\/p>\n
\n
Whate’er his lot may be,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And do thou his shortcoming scan<\/p>\n
\n
With heartfelt charity.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
When tears of grief bedim his eye,<\/p>\n
\n
Then be thou by his side,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
If he joy, join in his mirth-<\/p>\n
\n
If rude, why gently chide.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Speak gently to thy fellow-man,<\/p>\n
\n
Of high or lowly birth;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Speak gently to him if he’s poor<\/p>\n
\n
Or rich in things of earth.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Speak gently thou to every one,<\/p>\n
\n
Kind words will cost thee nothing,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And every one will prove a star<\/p>\n
\n
In the crown of thy rejoicing.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

1856<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Often the social environment influences the kind of wisdom we need. In mid-19th century Utah the role of women was a prominent issue, following the 1848 women\u2019s rights convention and the issues facing the new territory, which became the first in the U. S. to give women the right to vote, while simultaneously promoting polygamous marriages that were often thought to disadvantage women. How, among all the competing views of women, could one balance these issues with a relationship with the Lord?<\/p>\n

In the following poem, Eliza R. Snow attempts to balance all this, supporting elements of the nascent woman\u2019s rights\u2019 movement while also showing an ennobling role for women only found in the gospel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Woman<\/h3>\n

by Eliza R. Snow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Before this noble audience, once again<\/dd>\n
A Lyre of Zion re-resumes its strain.<\/dd>\n
Thought is a currency\u2014Speech is design\u2019d<\/dd>\n
To circulate the treasures of the mind.<\/dd>\n
When this Society convenes, this Hall<\/dd>\n
Is a grand reservoir, supplying all:<\/dd>\n
And constitutes an intellectual mint,<\/dd>\n
Where words are coin\u2019d\u2014ideas take their tint\u2014<\/dd>\n
Where morals, arts and sciences are taught\u2014<\/dd>\n
Mind prompting mind, and thought inspiring thought.<\/dd>\n
When last assembled, woman\u2019s worth and sphere<\/dd>\n
Were beautifully illustrated here:<\/dd>\n
And then the thought suggested to my view,<\/dd>\n
That woman\u2019s self might speak of woman too:<\/dd>\n
But not for \u201cWoman\u2019s Rights\u201d to plead or claim\u2014<\/dd>\n
No! that, in Zion, I should blush to name.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
I have apologies to offer here<\/dd>\n
For Gentile ladies who disclaim their sphere.<\/dd>\n
Having obtained enough of truthful light,<\/dd>\n
To see life\u2019s strange perversions of the right;<\/dd>\n
They seek with noble, yet misguided aim,<\/dd>\n
Corruption and abuses to reclaim:<\/dd>\n
But all their efforts to remove the curse<\/dd>\n
Are only making matters worse and worse.<\/dd>\n
They could as well unlock without a key,<\/dd>\n
As change the tide of man\u2019s degeneracy,<\/dd>\n
Without the holy priesthood: \u2019tis at most,<\/dd>\n
Like reck\u2019ning bills in absence of the host.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
No more of this. I\u2019ll speak of woman now<\/dd>\n
When Inspiration\u2019s pow\u2019rs, the mind endow\u2014<\/dd>\n
Where rules are giv\u2019n to renovate the earth\u2014<\/dd>\n
To try all textures and to prove all worth.<\/dd>\n
And what is woman\u2019s calling? where her place?<\/dd>\n
Is she destin\u2019d to honor? or disgrace?<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
The season\u2019s gone when she could set her stake<\/dd>\n
To which the will of man must bow or break\u2014<\/dd>\n
The time is past for her to reign alone,<\/dd>\n
And singly make a husband\u2019s heart her throne:<\/dd>\n
No more she stands with sovereignty confess\u2019d;<\/dd>\n
Nor yet a play-thing, dandled and caress\u2019d;<\/dd>\n
Neither a dazzling butterfly or mote,<\/dd>\n
On light, ethereal, balmy waves to float.<\/dd>\n
Hers is a holy calling, and her lot<\/dd>\n
With consequence most highly, deeply fraught\u2014<\/dd>\n
\u201cHelp-meet\u201d for man\u2014with him she holds a key<\/dd>\n
Of present and eternal destiny.<\/dd>\n
She bends from life\u2019s illusive greatness down\u2014<\/dd>\n
\u201cShe stoops to conquer\u201d\u2014serves to wear a crown.<\/dd>\n
Love, kindness, rectitude, with wisdom fraught<\/dd>\n
Form woman\u2019s greatness, wheresoe\u2019er her lot:<\/dd>\n
However great, let once her aim be pow\u2019r,<\/dd>\n
She sinks\u2014decreases from that hapless hour!<\/dd>\n
Aspiring brains fictitious heights create<\/dd>\n
And seek to clothe in greatness, ere they\u2019re great:<\/dd>\n
All dignity is but an idle sport,<\/dd>\n
Where goodness forms no pillar for support.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Who thro\u2019 submission, faith, and constancy,<\/dd>\n
Like ancient Sarah, gains celebrity;<\/dd>\n
And thus obtains an honorable place;<\/dd>\n
A high position may sustain and grace.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
That there are rights and privileges too,<\/dd>\n
To woman\u2019s sphere, and to her duties due;<\/dd>\n
Reason and justice\u2014truth and heav\u2019n confirm;<\/dd>\n
But they\u2019re not held by force, nor took by storm.<\/dd>\n
If \u201crights\u201d are right when they are rightly gain\u2019d,<\/dd>\n
\u201cRights\u201d must be wrong when wrongfully obtain\u2019d:<\/dd>\n
The putting forth a hand to take the prize<\/dd>\n
Before we fairly win it, is unwise.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Let woman then, a course in life pursue<\/dd>\n
To purchase man\u2019s respect, as merit\u2019s due,<\/dd>\n
And feeling God\u2019s approval, act her part<\/dd>\n
With noble independence in her heart;<\/dd>\n
Nor change, nor swerve, nor shrink, whatever is;<\/dd>\n
Though fools may scoff\u2014impertinence may quiz:<\/dd>\n
Faithful, though oft in faithfulness unknown\u2014<\/dd>\n
With no whereon to lean, but God alone.<\/dd>\n
Then by the laws which rule the courts above,<\/dd>\n
She holds the charter to a husband\u2019s love,<\/dd>\n
Which built on confidence\u2014by virtue won,<\/dd>\n
Will amply\u2014will abundantly atone<\/dd>\n
For what she feels at times, neglected now\u2014<\/dd>\n
Misjudg\u2019d and unappreciated too.<\/dd>\n
With chaff and tares, wheat may be buried low\u2014<\/dd>\n
Gold hid in dross, where none but angels know.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Wit, youth, and beauty oft a charm impart<\/dd>\n
Which throws a magic spell around the heart;<\/dd>\n
But \u2019tis an influence ever prone to wane<\/dd>\n
Unless the powers of worth that charm sustain.<\/dd>\n
The jewel, confidence, is far above<\/dd>\n
The fickle streams of earth\u2019s degen\u2019rate love.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Nature, inviolate holds certain laws\u2014<\/dd>\n
There\u2019s no effect produc\u2019d without a cause:<\/dd>\n
Integrity and faithfulness, through hard<\/dd>\n
And patient labor, reap their own reward.<\/dd>\n
The gains of craft will take their own light wings,<\/dd>\n
And all assumptions are but short-liv\u2019d things.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
As we move forward to a perfect state<\/dd>\n
And leave the dross degeneracies create:<\/dd>\n
Laws of affinity will closely bind<\/dd>\n
Heart unto heart\u2014congenial mind to mind.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Life, Order\u2014all things are in embryo,<\/dd>\n
And through experience God is teaching how<\/dd>\n
To mould\u2014to fashion to the pattern giv\u2019n\u2014<\/dd>\n
To show on earth a specimen of heaven.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
A calm must be preceded by a storm,<\/dd>\n
And revolutions go before reform:<\/dd>\n
Faith, practice, heads and hearts must all be tried,<\/dd>\n
To test what can and what cannot abide.<\/dd>\n
When shakings, tossings, changings, all are thro\u2019\u2014<\/dd>\n
All things their level find\u2014their classes too;<\/dd>\n
A perfect government will be restor\u2019d,<\/dd>\n
And Truth and Holiness and God ador\u2019d,<\/dd>\n
But ere this renovating work is thro\u2019,<\/dd>\n
Woman, as well as man, has much to do:<\/dd>\n
Responsibilities, however great,<\/dd>\n
Advancing onward will increase in weight;<\/dd>\n
And she, that she receiving, may dispense,<\/dd>\n
Needs wisdom, knowledge and intelligence;<\/dd>\n
Of high refinements too, she should partake<\/dd>\n
With rich endowments; for her offspring\u2019s sake.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Queen of her household\u2014authorized to bless\u2014<\/dd>\n
To plant the principles of righteousness\u2014<\/dd>\n
To paint the guideboard that thro\u2019 life will tell,<\/dd>\n
And lead instinctively to heaven or hell\u2014<\/dd>\n
To fix the base, the fundamental part<\/dd>\n
Of future greatness in the head and heart,<\/dd>\n
Which constitutes the germ of what will be<\/dd>\n
In the high courts of immortality.<\/dd>\n
What we experience here, is but a school<\/dd>\n
Wherein the rul\u2019d may be prepar\u2019d to rule.<\/dd>\n
The secret and the key\u2014the spring\u2014the soul<\/dd>\n
Of rule\u2014of government, is self-control.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Cloth\u2019d with the beauties, purity reflects,<\/dd>\n
The acknowledg\u2019d glory of \u201cthe other sex,\u201d<\/dd>\n
From life\u2019s crude dross and rubbish will come forth,<\/dd>\n
By weight of character\u2014by strength of worth;<\/dd>\n
And thro\u2019 obedience woman will obtain<\/dd>\n
The power of reigning and the right to reign.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

1855<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mortal life is temporary.<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the most valuable idea in earthly wisdom is a recognition that this life is temporary. I suspect that the root of all wisdom is an eternal perspective, in which we recognize the breadth and depth of actions. Even in this life our actions not only accomplish their goals, but change who we are and affect others in ways that are not always clear.<\/p>\n

Something about the process of aging makes all this easier to understand, as William Burton explains in this meditation on his 67th birthday. Burton sees that many friends and loved ones have passed on and sees the joys and sorrows that are a normal part of this life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Sunshine and Shadow of Life<\/h3>\n

by William W. Burton<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Another milestone passed today!<\/p>\n
\n
This ends my sixty-seventh year.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
The years, like milestones, mark the way<\/p>\n
\n
Of all that are sojourning here.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
This mortal life, we count by years;<\/p>\n
\n
Each year, a milestone on life’s way;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Some linger in this vale of tears,<\/p>\n
\n
While others shortly pass away.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
When first we come, how frail we are!<\/p>\n
\n
Nought else is born so helpless here;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
An animal knows more by far,<\/p>\n
\n
And is more helpful in its sphere.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
How gladsome does life’s morning seem,<\/p>\n
\n
Before the heart is touched with care!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Youth is full of a hopeful dream;<\/p>\n
\n
The future, full of promise fair.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
When youth and health are both our own,<\/p>\n
\n
And life with pleasure is replete,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Nor death has in our ranks been known,<\/p>\n
\n
Oh! then our life indeed is sweet.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Father, mother, both are with us,<\/p>\n
\n
Brothers, sisters, loved ones dear;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Little think we, they may leave us,<\/p>\n
\n
And dream not that the time is near<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Our measure, full of joy today,<\/p>\n
\n
To-morrow, may be full of tears;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Sometimes we’re sad, and sometimes gay,<\/p>\n
\n
Then full of hope, or full of fears.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Sunshine mingles with the showers;<\/p>\n
\n
And then the glorious rainbow’s seen;<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Thus like this mortal life of ours,<\/p>\n
\n
Where joys and sorrows intervene.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
My friends of early life are gone,<\/p>\n
\n
Those whom I knew in childhood’s day,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
Save here and there a single one<\/p>\n
\n
Who sometimes haps to pass my way.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
My old time friends, I welcome you!<\/p>\n
\n
Whose love is deep, and friendship strong,<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n
And grasp the hand, found ever true,<\/p>\n
\n
Which helps the right, and strikes the wrong!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

1900<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is wisdom exactly? Is it the ability to think clearly in a moral context? Is it something that we are learning here on this earth? Is it something that should eventually be independent of our Heavenly Parents? Or is it, by nature, listening to Them? Thinking in this vein, the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes complicate the question. As compilations of sayings likely collected from many sources, they represent a collective wisdom, learned by both experience and inspiration. Their inclusion in the canon of scripture suggests that wisdom is something that can be collected and passed on, in addition to something that involves how we think about life and problems. Whatever was originally inspired by God has been refined and restated by many people, and is now in a form that provides us with further inspiration. So, is the wisdom there learned by generations of wise men, or is it inspiration from God? Perhaps the question is part of the problem, because the question assumes that wisdom is either from wise men or from God. Can\u2019t it be both? I\u2019m not sure that inspiration is something that can be neatly divided into what comes from God and what comes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":54408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2906,2462,1323],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-old-testament","category-poetry-arts","category-sunday-school-lesson-old-testament"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4445.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54394"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54417,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54394\/revisions\/54417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}