Read Part 1 first.

True confession: I love helpful hint books.

When I was a kid, I’d find an old Hints from Heloise book at the thrift store, and I’d learn all about how to get wine out of your tablecloth and gum out of your hair. I probably have hundreds of helpful tips stored in my brain, just waiting for the opportunity to be pulled out and tested. These days, I’ve found hint books on parenting to be enjoyable reading. I’m not talking about spiritual topics, per se. I’m talking about how to get your children to enjoy vegetables, potty training tips, and essential methods of quieting a fussy baby. I love to see all the different ways moms have gotten their children to eat squash and cauliflower.

Watching or reading how other parents handle spiritual problems can be useful, too. I love to watch my sister-in-law use questions to help her children handle interpersonal conflict. “Did you grab the toy, or did you ask for it?” “How did you ask? What did you say?” I enjoy hearing mothers pray with their children, and I pay close attention to what truths they convey and how they word those truths.

Wisdom does not mean that we should not learn from each other. It doesn’t mean we cannot benefit from another mother’s hard earned wisdom. Without God’s wisdom, however, mothers don’t know what wisdom to use or reject. They become incapacitated to make their own decisions without a reassuring word from a “wise mother.”

I need a fresh supply of wisdom in order to determine whether some other mother’s experience is beneficial for my own situation. And I must continually point to God’s Word as the indispensable parenting resource, for my own life, and those around me.

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