Wisdom That Distrusts Itself
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
Proverbs 3:7 (NIV)
Solomon offers advice that sounds contradictory: do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. How so? Real wisdom begins by distrusting its own wisdom. Whoever considers themselves too wise stops learning, stops listening — and worst of all, stops asking forgiveness. After all, if I am always right, the fault is always someone else's. Intellectual pride is the vault where forgiveness goes to die.
Notice the link the proverb draws: fearing the Lord and shunning evil walk together with refusing to trust your own judgment. Whoever fears God knows they see little — and so they seek counsel, admit mistakes, and backtrack without shame. Forgiveness blooms in this soil: saying “forgive me, I was wrong” comes far easier when we have already admitted, up front, that we can be wrong. Epistemic humility opens the door pride locks from inside.
Distrust yourself today on one specific point: that absolute certainty about someone, that story you always tell the same way, that hurt where you play judge and party. Ask God whether you see it all — and ask someone you trust whether you erred. Wisdom that distrusts itself rarely needs defending; it prefers correcting itself and asking forgiveness.