By Lana Shoaf published in First Mennonite’s “Update” in May 2019

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

James 3:13-17

A friend took a trip to downtown Chicago to be a tourist for a day. The homeless people with outstretched, empty hands along the streets grabbed at her heartstrings, and she vowed to help them. She decided to drop her extra change into the open hands of the homeless when she would pass them by on the sidewalk. After seeing all the sights and dropping coins in several cups, cans, and hands, she headed home with her family. On the drive home, my friend realized she had given out several “Free Zoo Pass” tokens to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo instead of US currency when handing out coins to the homeless. “What a bad deal!” she thought. Not only were the coins worthless to the people in Chicago, but now she was out of zoo passes!

What did those needy people think at the end of the day, counting out their coins, when they realized they had a shiny coin they could never use in Chicago? My mom used to jokingly threaten to leave us at the zoo. It was a close second to the “circus” in our chaotic house with five children! When I heard my friend’s story about handing out zoo passes, I found much irony in those empty hands reaching out for real help when all they received was an invitation to a faraway zoo. They were longing for security and all they got was an invitation to the wild all caught up in cages.

Yet, sometimes, I choose this. When I have a real need, God offers His wisdom, which yields a harvest of righteousness. The world also offers a shiny version of help, but its result is caged chaos at best. When both are offered, sometimes I take the wisdom of this world because it seems shinier and more appealing for my immediate need. God longs to fill that need with lasting fulness, and I choose the counterfeit, the chaos, the zoo. James says wisdom of the world leads to disorder and every evil practice…not what I need or even ultimately want for my life.

Though my friend is out of zoo passes, she taught me a valuable lesson: Examine closely what is offered to me and choose God’s wisdom and His way. When I choose right, I am choosing a life that is “pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” The world is full of empty hands reaching for these exact things. Perhaps this is what motivated my friend in the first place. †