Proverb 1:20

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, 
in the markets she raises her voice;”

There are two kinds of people we see on the street and in the marketplace. The one draws a crowd; like the entertainers on the pier in San Francisco. The other is ignored and sometimes even shunned; like the peaceful protestors on the street side.

I tend to believe that wisdom can identify more with the protestors as she stands on a street corner. There’s a sense of passion in her declarations, that suggests she carries an important message with her. We don’t know at this point what that message is. But we do know that she’s raising her voice, I assume to catch the attention of passersby. To communicate the weight of the message. And I just wonder if her audience is unresponsive and ignores her.

I hope my ears are attentive to her. I hope I will take a moment to stop and listen to her cries. I hope I can resist the urge to give my prized attention to the wrong person. It is easy to tune in to entertainers. It takes effort to stop and listen to a message and to try to comprehend its meaning and how to practically apply it.

I hope that I have exercised my attention span enough to stay for her message. I hope I’m strong enough to heed the mysterious Lady Wisdom and ignore the melodious minstrels and mischievous magicians who vie for my attention.