Think about your money, marriage/dating relationships, parenting and your family, your friendship, and the direction of your life. Over this past year, did you make the wise choices? Maybe you're feeling the pain of past decisions or your connection to others who made bad decisions. We can put the past beyond and gain wisdom to make wise choices. I hope you can make the most of the year ahead and set forward in a good direction. 

How do we can wisdom? You can read books, watch YouTube videos and TED Talks, learn from mentors, or attend conferences. Those are all good options. We can also go to the source of all wisdom. In the book of Proverbs, it says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs. 1:7). This health fear is awe and respect for God and realizing we need Him and His insight for life. It's a perspective that God is the creator of life and He knows best for how we should live. Some people would say that this is weak and God is a crutch. Well, there is some truth in that. It's easy to say I don't need God when things are going well. But the longer I live, I realize more and more that we aren't as strong as we think we are and I don't know as much as I think I do. The biggest truth to that is I am not good enough and strong enough to earn my way to heaven. None of us are. We all need God and His salvation. It's not weak but wise to look to someone greater than us to guide us in life.

Proverbs 3 calls us to Trust in the Lord. Lean not on our own understanding. Don't be wise in our own eyes. Some people would say to just do what's best for you, follow your heart, or just do what makes you happy. That's thoughts seem good and nice, but our feelings and our hearts are not always accurate and can often lead us to bad choices. I think those thoughts are often said by people who have been hurt by bad choices of their own or others. We see an opposing view in these verses in Proverbs. Don't be wise in your own eyes. Look to God and his wisdom. Live with a health fear of God. If we do that it says in Proverbs that He will lead us to every good path and towards peace and prosperity. In Proverbs 2, it says that God holds our success and that His wisdom can guard our lives with discernment of what is good and fair. It says that if we seek and ask, we can gain the knowledge of God. 

If we want to make wise choices and make the most of this new year, it begins by looking to God. Let's pursue Him and His wisdom like the hidden treasure. Let's let His wisdom settle in our hearts and soul to guide us to make wise decisions. A great place to start is reading through the book of Proverbs. It's filled with wisdom for every aspect of our lives.