“Happy are those who find wisdom and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver and her revenue better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.” Proverbs 3:13-18 NRSVUE
“I pity them greatly, but I must be mum. For how could we do without sugar and rum?”
In 1788, William Cowper wrote these words in his poem “Pity for Poor Africans.” Now, please do not dive far into the abysmal hell of slavery with this quote. Instead, stay right in the tragic truth of this statement and its fettered thinking, thinking that still lives among us.
What would they have done without the sugar and rum cultivated by enslaved ancestors? It is a worthy question to consider. The possibilities were endless but when dehumanizing others, one subsequently dehumanizes themselves — they suppress their own critical thinking, imagination, enduring peace and awareness of God’s unending presence.
Sugar and rum have not gone anywhere, and old oppressive spirits come in all shapes, sizes and colors these days. We simply call sugar and rum by different names now. They are the things that cause us not to see others or even ourselves as human beings — the carriers of God.
They are the thirst for power that proves deadly to our connections with others. They are the beauty we squander for ease. Furthermore, if one were alone on an island, sugar and rum would never sustain life. What will we do without whatever is our “sugar and rum?” Maybe, just maybe, we would be free.
Some attribute Proverbs 3 to King Solomon, others believe Proverbs was written by a collective of wise people. Nonetheless, Proverbs 3 offers words birthed by experience. Costly lessons gave this writer verses 13-18. Like the young folk say, “If you know, you know.”
See and digest that this passage starts with “happy” and ends with “happy.” That is no coincidence. We are painted a picture here where wisdom shows up and takes back all her glory.
This text does not imply wisdom correlates to lack or misery, but quite the opposite. The
scriptures identify wisdom as the portal to happiness. Insert praise break here. Let us remember Maya Angelou’s words, “When you know better, do better.” The truth is we know more than our actions and inactions reflect. Our God is generous in the gift of wisdom to those who relate with God.
Regardless of what is preached on Sunday, taught at bible study on Wednesday, or played on the radio during rush hour, talking with God about the story of our lives is going to reveal love, trauma, foolishness, passion, pathologies and the power to move toward wiser circles, directions and boundaries. A wealth of wisdom awaits our stillness sitting with the Tree of Life.
The very things we think we cannot do without are rarely existential. When we consider the divine possibility of happiness, sugar and rum will not satisfy.
