…filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding…

Colossians 1:9 CSV

As I watch nieces and granddaughters face the task of exploring career paths, a famous bit of wisdom comes to mind for narrowing options: “Vocation is where our greatest passion intersects the world’s greatest need.”* This principle of “intersection” has guided me in my own decisions for investing my time professionally and as a volunteer. Without it, the possibilities simply overwhelm.

Another recently discovered “intersection” principle has helped me navigate emotional work: “It’s at the intersection between sadness and celebration that the true love of our hearts is exposed.”** Daily, throughout seasons of our lives, we experience joys and sadness, celebrations and grief. Applying this principle to the way in which we reflect upon these experiences can serve as a window to our hearts.

I’ve learned that if I take time to unpack my joy or examine my sadness, I’ll either discover the evidence of God’s transforming grace at work or the need for that grace to do more transformation. Even though Jesus Christ has rescued me from sin, both my grief and my celebrations will consistently reveal to me that the war for my heart still rages. 

Paul’s letter to the believers in Colossae shows his sensitivity to the type of work the Holy Spirit desires for each child of God. Paul prayed that they “might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God” (vs 9-11). 

In these words, Paul revealed what he had experienced as God transformed his own heart from a fiery persecutor of Christians to the loving disciple revealed in his letters. God had transformed Paul’s heart and he wanted these believers to discover for themselves the “knowledge of God,” the true source of all wisdom and spiritual understanding. 

Why? So, they, and I, might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work—and that’s something only God can do!

Linda Les

*Frederick Buechner

**Paul David Tripp, “New Morning Mercies”