🛞 Walk It Around the Wheel --- Why Wisdom Usually Walks Slower Than Emotion
🛞 Walk It Around the Wheel
Why Wisdom Usually Walks Slower Than Emotion
Most mistakes are not made because people are evil.
Most mistakes are made because people move too quickly.
Someone says something that offends us.
A rumor reaches our ears.
A headline appears on our phone.
A strong feeling rises inside us.
And before truth has a chance to speak...
emotion has already made the decision.
Perhaps that is why the scriptures repeatedly teach us to "ponder."
The Lord rarely tells His children to hurry.
He teaches them to seek...
to ask...
to knock...
to wait upon Him.
Wisdom usually grows more slowly than emotion.
Even Good People Can Be Wrong
Throughout scripture we find sincere people who misunderstood what God was doing.
Peter thought he understood the Messiah.
Until he didn't.
The disciples argued over who would be the greatest.
Martha hurried while Mary listened.
Even the Prophet Joseph Smith repeatedly sought additional light because his understanding continued to grow.
The Lord does not condemn honest learning.
He invites it.
Truth has nothing to fear from careful examination.
Ponder Before You Decide
The Book of Mormon repeatedly uses words like ponder, consider, and remember.
Moroni invited us to read...
then remember God's mercy...
then ponder...
then ask with real intent.
Notice the order.
God does not ask for blind acceptance.
He invites thoughtful faith.
Faith is not the absence of questions.
Faith is trusting the Lord enough to keep asking until understanding grows.
The Savior Never Rushed Wisdom
People constantly tried to force Jesus into quick decisions.
"Should we stone her?"
"Should we pay taxes?"
"Who sinned?"
Again and again He paused.
Sometimes He knelt and wrote in the dust.
Sometimes He answered with another question.
Sometimes He remained silent.
The world demands instant reactions.
Christ often answered with eternal perspective.
Every Choice Touches Someone Else
One of the great truths taught throughout scripture is that no one lives unto themselves.
Our words become another person's memories.
Our kindness becomes another person's hope.
Our anger becomes another person's burden.
The Apostle Paul taught that we are members one of another.
When one member suffers...
all suffer.
Love always sees farther than self.
Seek the Spirit... But Also Understanding
We often pray,
"Lord, tell me what is true."
That is a good prayer.
But perhaps an even better prayer is,
"Lord, help me understand."
Knowledge can fill the mind.
Understanding changes the heart.
The Holy Spirit rarely replaces honest study.
More often, He enlarges it.
He connects scattered pieces until truth becomes clear.
Light usually comes line upon line...
not all at once.
The Test of Every Decision
There is a question worth asking before almost every decision.
Will this relieve suffering...
or increase it?
Will this bring peace...
or contention?
Will this draw people toward Christ...
or toward me?
The Savior gave us this pattern throughout His ministry.
He healed.
He forgave.
He lifted.
He fed.
He comforted.
Love was never merely an emotion.
It became action.
Walking the Way
Perhaps discipleship is less about making perfect decisions...
and more about learning how to make decisions with Christ beside us.
Pause before speaking.
Listen before judging.
Study before concluding.
Pray before acting.
Love before reacting.
The world rewards speed.
The Kingdom often rewards patience.
One builds arguments.
The other builds Zion.
Walk It Around the Wheel
Before accepting a new idea...
Walk it around the wheel.
Gather knowledge.
Seek understanding.
Consider how it blesses others.
Invite the Holy Spirit.
Then ask one final question:
Does this lead me to become more like the Peacemaker?
If the answer is yes...
walk forward in faith.
If the answer is not yet...
keep walking.
Because truth is never afraid of another step.
And neither is Christ.
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