Look for graduation cards, and you see the owl motif often. After all, he’s a wise fellow, right? Nope! A quick search reveals many species of birds are wiser than the owl.
“But, it turns out, though they’re excellent hunters, owls probably aren’t any smarter than a lot of other birds.
In fact, they may be significantly worse at problem solving than other big-brained birds like crows and parrots. One study found that great grey owls repeatedly failed a simple cognitive test—pulling a string to get a treat—that had been successfully solved by several other bird species.”
From “Are Owls Actually Wise?” on MentalFloss
Certainly, I would like to offer our granddaughter words of wisdom to carry into her next chapter, but not from an owl. We’ve displayed Proverbs 4:23 on the banner of this website from the beginning. It’s long been a favorite piece of wisdom.
Quite by accident (more like God-cident) and without even thinking about verse 23, the past week I focused on all of Proverbs 4. A devotional I read led me to these verses – so full of wisdom and so perfect to encourage the graduate.
“Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you. She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown . . . Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Proverbs 4:4-9, 23 , NLT
I’ve prayed these words of God from Proverbs for her, and I’ll include them in the devotional book we’ll gift our precious granddaughter. We’ll add a gift of bling she may cherish for a month or a year or more. I pray the Scripture verses will be jewels Mary treasures for a lifetime.
Copyright 2019, Lynn U. Watson
Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.