Happy Summer!
I was in the front yard playing with the kids when I noticed several small holes around our lawn. Curious, I did what anyone would do in the year 2026: ask ChatGPT.
Me: “These holes are all over our yard <insert photo of hole>. What are they from?” ChatGPT: “Ah, yep. That one is pretty telling… this is almost certainly from ground squirrels.”
Yes, that’s right. Ground squirrels.
I proceeded to ask for a photo, which resulted in several adorable pictures of little creatures that looked a lot like chipmunks. Spoiler: they were actually photos of chipmunks. At this point, most normal humans would be suspicious, but I was ecstatic. Where are these cute little guys, and why haven’t I seen them?
Matt appeared on the scene, and I excitedly told him, “We have ground squirrels!” To which he replied, “No, we don’t.” Turns out, our big ash tree out front had a treatment done on its roots. This involved drilling multiple holes around the tree.
I really wish it had been ground squirrels.
And this, my friend, is what happens when we have instant access to so much knowledge right at our fingertips, but without the wisdom to ground it in.
I’m sure you’ve been told to trust your mama instincts. Listen to your gut. You know what’s best for your baby. But how can I when there are 20 different voices telling me conflicting advice? How do we make decisions in a culture that has given us so much access to information that “trusting our gut” feels like it would oppose at least several prominent research studies?
First, I want to define information, knowledge, and wisdom because I think these three get all mushed together like three different Play-Doh colors and are nearly impossible to separate.
Information: raw data and facts.
Knowledge: what happens when you understand, interpret, and apply those facts through your own experience.
Wisdom: the ability to make sound, insightful, and well-reasoned judgments by properly applying knowledge and experience.
ChatGPT knowledge says, “Those holes in your yard are ground squirrels.” Wisdom says, “Take a minute to evaluate whether you’ve ever actually seen a ground squirrel.”
My Garmin’s knowledge says, “Based on your sleep score, HRV, and age, you can run 40 minutes at a 7-minute-mile pace.” Wisdom says, “If I tried that, I’d pull a hammie.”
Instagram Parenting knowledge says, “Here’s the perfect script to talk your child through their tantrum.” Wisdom says, “Just ditch the shopping cart with all your groceries and get out of there!”
Here is the glaring problem I see in my ground squirrel situation: the “knowledge” we are receiving is not actually interpreted through our own experience, but through whoever is dishing out the information. It isn’t just information we are receiving through a fire hose, it is someone else’s interpretation, and often without the wisdom of time and experience.
It makes it really easy to feel defeated. After I take all the classes, read all the books, and have my own personal assistant at my fingertips, shouldn’t I be able to get this right the first time? I’m literally following all the steps, and my child is STILL pooping in their pants. It’s clearly me. Or them. And now I’m trying to discover what is in my subconscious that is getting transferred to my child by the “vibes” in the air.
What if the answer is so much simpler?
We are just lacking wisdom. The wisdom that comes through experience. Wisdom that you can’t fully prepare for because it requires you to walk through some pretty uncomfortable seasons (that’s a mild way of putting it).
Proverbs 2:10-11 says it like this:
“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”
Doesn’t that feel like a relief? Wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. We gain the experience, we know the facts, and we are able to interpret them in a way that is pleasant. Refreshing, even.
All this to say, if you feel like you don’t know how to trust your gut, if you’re feeling a little lost in the sea of information, or if you wonder why God's response time isn't as quick as Google, you’re not alone. It's a noisy world out there that would love to distract you from the fact that as Christians, we have been rescued and redeemed by THE source of wisdom. Who knows exactly what we need and loves when we seek Him.
In it with you,
Lizi
P.S. If a friend came to mind while you were reading, feel free to forward this along.