Ask yourself these questions: In the past week, how often have I used the words "wise" or "wisdom" in conversation? Would my children and students be able to define what wisdom is? Would they see wisdom as a great treasure? Where will they find wisdom?
In her book God's Wisdom, Sally Michael gives children the following illustration and explanation,
If you knew a treasure was hidden in your backyard, what would you do? You would look for it! You would get a shovel and dig, turning over every rock and looking under every bush until you found it. Well, wisdom is a treasure—and we need to dig to find it. We need to look for it with all our might. So where do we look for wisdom? We look to the One who created wisdom and has all wisdom— God. In His words in the Bible, we find what is good and right, and we find the heart to do what is good and right. ...The teaching in Proverbs helps us to understand how to act in a godly way, how to make decisions, and how to know what is best. But even more than that, Proverbs shows us why God's way is best so that we will have a heart to walk in God's way, which is the way of the wise.She also gives families a fun and meaningful follow-up activity to reinforce the above truths:
Copy some verses from Proverbs on separate pieces of paper and hide them around the house for your family to find this week. Each one is a treasure. When you find a verse, think about what it means and how you can act on the verse. At the end of the week, share with each other the verses you found and how you acted on them. Why is the wisdom of these verses a treasure to love? Have a special treat as a reminder that wisdom is precious, beautiful, and pleasant.
(copyright©2014, pages 28-29, 31)
