It isn't just osmosis

Have you heard of the process referred to as 'osmosis'? In a very simple sense, osmosis is the movement of water, not the particles dissolved or contained within the water. It is the process whereby our cells allow water to move in and out of them. Think of a dried up raisin for a moment. Have you ever put it in your oatmeal while you are cooking it? What happens to the raisin in the water mixture? Doesn't it swell up a bit, getting a little plumper and less 'hard'? What has happened? The water entered into the raisin because the sugar concentration of the raisin's inside is greater than the sugar concentration of the water on the outside. The equilibrium must be re-established and so the raisin takes on water. Did you ever stop for a moment to consider that wisdom and common sense are kind of like wrinkled up raisins in us? They are quite 'concentrated' until we allow the water of his Word to draw out the richness contained within them! As they stand, they are useful to us, but just like the raisin that 'plumps up' and begins to make its 'sugary' inner self known, God's Word begins to release bits and pieces of wisdom that actually develops our common sense so it is even more reliable and of use to us.

Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And with your wisdom, develop common sense and good judgment. If you exalt wisdom, she will exalt you. Hold her fast, and she will lead you to great honor; she will place a beautiful crown upon your head. (Proverbs 4:7-9)

Wisdom isn't something that just happens - it is something we allow to happen. The raisin could resist the influx of the water for a while, but eventually it would 'give in'. Why? There must be equilibrium. This isn't the easiest thing to understand, but suffice it to say that our lives are nothing short of 'imbalanced'! We all need to have our equilibrium re-established and this means we must pursue wisdom, so it impacts our common sense and helps us to begin to exercise the type of judgment others will see as 'good'. I think we all need to just get immersed in God's Word daily until it has a chance to re-establish some sense of equilibrium in our lives. It doesn't take a long time, nor do we have to be Bible College graduates to allow it to begin to affect our lives. In short order, even the shortest time immersed in the Word will begin to permeate our thoughts. Thoughts begin to impact actions. In the process we could refer to as 'osmosis', we have begun to see change in our choices. If we want to change our world, it begins by God beginning to change our lives!

In our bodies, there is a fine balance in the cells between water, sodium, potassium, and lots of other substances. Water must pass freely in order to allow perfect balance of all these substances. In our lives, there are lots and lots of things that must be 'balanced' in order to have total and complete equilibrium. The hot weather makes me 'puffy', with ankles and feet getting pretty swollen by the end of the day. Add to that my immobility with working at a desk eight hours a day, with feet in a dependent position, and they are downright 'puffy girls' by the time I get home at night. It isn't that the cells aren't trying to keep us with balancing all that water into the right spaces, but the heat causes me to sweat, robbing me of sodium, potassium, and other electrolytes that I desperately need. When those are out of balance in my bloodstream, the water goes into places it shouldn't be normally. Hence, I get puffy feet! If I am losing all kinds of things that help me to maintain balance in life, no wonder I am struggling to find equilibrium.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we are constantly 'shedding' the things that make us strong, not finding time to replace them, it won't be long before we are out of whack. Wisdom comes by taking time in God's Word, listening to what he says, and then allowing them to fill us up until we have our equilibrium re-established. If we don't refill the tank often, we will find we have given out more than we are taking in, directly impacting our ability to live and walk in solidly reliable common sense! Just sayin!