Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.  Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off (Proverbs 24:13-14).

I didn't fully appreciate honey as a kid.  I thought it was "OK."  Nice and sweet and definitely better than, say, peas or tuna-fish -- but I actually considered it to be an inferior sweetener.  I would have much rather had cinnamon and sugar on my toast instead of honey, and when it came to Halloween candy I would always try to trade away my "Bit o' Honey" candies for Snickers bars or Blow-Pops.  It wasn't that I really had anything against honey.  It just seemed a little bit too sweet and too wild for my taste.  It overwhelmed me a little bit.

But as I've grown older, I've developed a deeper appreciation of honey.  Many of my favorite breakfast cereals are sweetened with honey.  I discovered that there's nothing quite so nice on corn-bread as honey.  Or with mint tea -- mmmmm... honey adds just the right touch!  I've even learned that eating honey has advantages for building up immunity to local allergens (among numerous other health benefits!)!  So today, I really enjoy honey.  I understand and have experienced its goodness.

Considering the message of Proverbs 24:13-14, it only makes sense that my appreciation of wisdom has developed along similar lines.

When I was younger, I thought that wisdom was "OK."  It was good and fine -- certainly better than stupidity or cluelessness.  But it definitely didn't rank very high on my list of personal priorities.  I would have much rather had popularity, physical strength, and even when it came to areas of intellect or morality (closer to wisdom itself) I tended to prefer acquisition of trivia or the approval of authority figures.  It wasn't that I really had anything against wisdom.  It just seemed a little bit too serious and meaningful for my taste.  It overwhelmed me a little bit.

But as I've matured, I've developed a deeper appreciation of wisdom.  It brings much greater meaning into my personal relationships as a husband, as a father, as a pastor, and as a friend.  I've discovered that wisdom is exactly what I need for dealing with both praise and criticism, for managing disappointments and successes.  And for living the life of faith, wisdom means a closer connection with God Himself!  I've even learned that wisdom offers all kinds of collateral benefits to areas of my life such as career-building, social-networking, and physical well-being.  Yes, today I really value wisdom.  I understand and have experienced its goodness.  And what's best of all is that I'm not done experiencing the benefits of wisdom yet either.  The greatest promises of Proverbs 24:13-14 are for the future -- pledging ongoing hope and connection with God.  Pretty sweet, isn't it?