Hear, my son, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
(Proverbs 4:10)
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Experience is the best teacher?” Some people will argue that there are certain things you can’t know unless you go through them. And so they encourage exploration, trying all kinds of things, and making mistakes. I think those things are valuable, but for every person who comes out of a challenging experience better than what they would have been otherwise, the Bible offers another option. That option is called wisdom.
Proverbs 4:10 says, “Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.” In the following verses, we see a father speak about wisdom to live and avoid stumbling and avoid evil, which ultimately lead to brighter days. He’d tell his son this because he wants his son to learn, not through his own experience, but through wisdom. You don’t have to find yourself on a path to destruction before deciding it’s not a good idea. You don’t have to wait until your experience tells you that you’ve made a bad choice. You can take the wisdom found in God’s word and trust that obedience to God is the surest way to experience a fulfilling life. Experience is not the best teacher; God’s wisdom is.