Wisdom, I have heard it said, is the art of living well.
Wisdom is not a science. It is not “an effort to rationalize reality,” as Walter Brueggeman has written. When it comes to living wisely, there is no formula, no blueprint, no standard operating procedure.
Science studies the repeatable. History studies the unrepeatable. And wisdom studies the present moment. No one has ever been your exact being, living this exact moment, under these exact circumstances, faced with these exact decisions.
Now, if you insist on being a scientist, you’re likely to find your attempts rather frustrating. God is not a professor standing in front of the class ready to precisely respond to the student with her hand raised.
But if you’re willing to be an artist, what you seek is not an answer but beauty. If there is a question at all, it is about what creative good might be formed out of the materials at hand. In this sense, God is the muse, whispering in your ear, “Move your paint brush just so.”
You likey do not see the end result of your painting as you work. That is expected. Just keep painting. Remain sensitive to the nudges of the Spirit. When you step back, you might be surprised to recognize what you’ve created as a peaceful river, or the waves of the sea gently skimming the shore.
See Isaiah 48:17-21.