How much did you pay for that camera?

Last week, Sue and I visited the Brenham area. Because our daily lives are so busy, we were looking forward to some quiet time together in God’s Wildflower Garden! Just past Bellville, we started to see patches of Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush, Verbena, and Texas Bluebell. It was spectacular!

Closer to Brenham, we found an amazing field of Bluebonnets. No one was there except a couple taking pictures. We parked as far as we could from them, hoping to not disturb their photography. As Sue and I stood in the field hand in hand, it was a special moment,…UNTIL, the lady called to us! “If you will take our picture, we will take yours.” It sounded harmless.

Being civil, we did as she requested. When I handed her my camera, she began to ask a series of prying questions: “Where are you from? How long have you been here? Where are you going from here? What brand and model is this camera? Where did you buy it? How much did you pay for it?” It felt like we were being taken into custody.

Several responses went through my mind. But, Sue is kinder than me. Her diplomacy and tact kept me from getting my eyes scratched out, I am sure. Eventually, we got back to our car. It seemed like we had been violated in some way. Her desire for knowledge about us was incredible. Perhaps she needed content for her Blog, or was writing a book on people she met in Bluebonnet fields.

As my blood pressure slowly eased back into ideal range, I remembered that information is power. So much of our private data is already public knowledge. Indeed, we are overwhelmed with information, but isolated from wisdom.

Someone said, “Knowledge without wisdom is a load of books on the back of a donkey.” It is evident that people with little wisdom often obtain much knowledge. Just look at politics, Hollywood, and our government. That is why Solomon said, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom!” (Proverbs 4:7) Lord, please give me more wisdom!

No, I did not tell her how much I paid for the camera.