Faith In Between

Finding True Fulfillment: Wisdom, Faith, and your Journey to Becoming

• Uilani Kumuhone • Season 7 • Episode 82

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Can obtaining knowledge & wisdom truly bring joy and fulfillment beyond material possessions?  In todayʻs episode, I share with you how God has since opened my heart and mind to many realizations, especially how important Wisdom is in our lives. In this season I find myself extra busy as I return to school at 32. I am now having to navigate the complex dynamics of family life and academic ambitions. Inspired by Proverbs 8, I share what God has since put on my heart that is relevant for each of us in our journeyʻs no matter where you are or what you're doing in this season that God has you in.  Come join me today and let's talk stories! 

Flow of show

Main: Knowledge and Wisdom- Proverbs 8 
Proverbs 8:1:  Listen wisdom calls out! Here as understanding raises her voice! 

#1. Wisdom verses knowledge 
Proverbs 8:8-9 [NLT]: My advice is wholesome.  There is nothing devious or crooked in it.  My words are plain to anyone with understanding and clear to those with knowledge.  

  • wisdom [noun]: learning and the capacity to use it. 
  • Knowledge [noun]: something learned and remembered, gained by experience. a students dictionary, by dictionaryproject.org 

#2. What is a Community Health Worker 

  • A community Health worker (CHW) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community it serves.  This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.  ACHW also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy. (APHA, 2009) 

#3. Proverbs 8: 32-36 [NLT]: and so my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful.  Listen to my instructions and be wise.  Don't ignore it.  Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home! for whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.  But those who miss me injure themselves all who hate me love death.  

Proverbs 9:10:  Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment." 





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supporting biblical resources

  • You Version bible website:https://www.bible.com/
  • Topical bible verse search: https://www.openbible.info/topics/

As always thank you for being here with me on Faith In Between, My name is Uilani Kumhone and I will connect with you on the next one.

Bye!!

Speaker 1:

aloha guys. Welcome back to faith in between, the faith-filled podcast for local women in hawaii. My name is, and I will be your forever host here on the show. Um, this is my show, so welcome, welcome. Thank you so much for stopping by. We have so many things to jump into today, so let's get right into it. Hello ladies, what's up and welcome back. Thank you so much for coming back.

Speaker 1:

So today, so much good things. Excuse my voice, I lost my voice like a week ago and I still haven't fully gotten it back. I was a little bit afraid that I wasn't going to be able to record, but I think it's back pretty good. So, yes, my voice is a little bit gone and, don't worry, there's nothing crazy. I just I don't know, I just lost my voice. It was weird. But anyway, so much great things to talk about, so let's just jump right in.

Speaker 1:

So I am so excited to be back in school, um, during this fall semester at KCC. Technically we're connected with KCC, but we're here in the Wai'anae coast, so that's great. Um, I've been at home with my kids sick. So my, my daughter, was sick all week last week. Today or yesterday was the first day of the two weeks that they've been back to school, that all of them have been in school for the the full duration of school. So I'm so, so excited, um, but you know, like this time right now being back in school, it's just so interesting for me. You know, I have class twice a week online from 5 30 Hawaii time to 8 30 pm and it's literally like right after dinner I gotta log on and then it's all the way till like a little after my kids bedtime. So I'm not really there to like, like be immersed in their bedtime, but there's so much, you know, like good and bad that comes with that. Like you know, they're growing up and I should have this time with them, but at the same time, I've spent every night with them for the last 11 years that I've been here, you know, and they've been here.

Speaker 1:

So it's it's kind of a, you know, weird time, but I see God working, you know, working out these like time constraints and routine, you know, switch ups, cause my daughter's also doing volleyball now. So, like all of these time constraints and things, he's just working it out in such an amazing way. And, you know, this in itself is just a whole other interesting topic that I'm really trying to figure out, still, exactly where God is leading me with it. You know, like I see sometimes because the topic that we talk about are very relatable in my class and it's easy for me to talk about, but then there's times that I'm like wait a minute, like I don't know what this one is all about. So it's definitely challenging for me and it's really stretching my capacity for those things in my life, including my time and my knowledge, revolving around being a community health worker and we'll get more into what this all is, because this is kind of what I'm talking about today anyway, which, again, right, community health workers. I've mentioned this in my last episode. They've been around for a while now, but only now they're starting to really see the value in the work that community health workers do in the healthcare field and because of that, they opened up this free course to the people like me who are seeking something that we can find value in. And that's where I want to kick off this whole entire episode, because that, right there, going back to school and gaining that knowledge is so important.

Speaker 1:

But, as I like this past week, as I went through this sit down with Christ and I was reading my Bible, he brought me to this whole other topic that is really all encompassing. So it's about wisdom and knowledge. It's not just about learning new things at school, but really wisdom and knowledge and how they go hand in hand and how they're of the same sort of thing, but really different, right? So our main scripture chapter for this entire episode is going to be Proverbs 8. And I'm going to start at Proverbs 8, verse 1. I'm not going to read the whole chapter, but go and read the whole chapter for yourself. It's such a good chapter. So Proverbs 8, verse 1, it says listen, wisdom calls out, hear as understanding, raises her voice, and I love this, and I love that they're using her as wisdom, because I just feel so connected to it even more, being a woman and hearing this wisdom. Her, her voice, is calling out, and I'm like, wow, like this is like. When I first read this, I just was like wow, like this is going to be such a good read, right. And so we talk.

Speaker 1:

When I'm looking at wisdom and knowledge, I'm like, ok, what is wisdom versus knowledge? Talk. When I'm looking at wisdom and knowledge, I'm like, okay, what is wisdom versus knowledge? So the definition of wisdom in my little handy dictionary that I have a student's dictionary it's wisdom is a noun and it's learning and the capacity to use it and I love this, it's so simple learning and the capacity to use that right. Right, use what you're learning. And then knowledge is also a noun, but it's something learned and remembered, gained by experience. And so I think about this. I'm like, yeah, that's true. Like you know, they talk about being book smart and street smart. There's two different types of knowledge that we can have. We can have the knowledge in the books at school, but a lot of people have street smarts. They know how to live on in the real world, in the actual world, versus you know what a textbook is telling them or whatever test they're trying to take. So that's the difference between the two.

Speaker 1:

And Proverbs 8 through 9 says my advice is wholesome. There's nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge. And if we think about what it says with understanding, we go back to wisdom. In verse 1, it says wisdom is calling Hear her understanding. So understanding here they're talking about wisdom. Right, my words are plain to anyone with wisdom, with understanding. Clear to those with knowledge, and I love that they use knowledge and wisdom together. I love that Proverbs is using this together because really it is important, right?

Speaker 1:

People mixed they often mix up these two things, right? They think, okay, knowledge and wisdom is the same thing. But I see it as you need knowledge to have wisdom, right, like you need to know things. You can't just not know certain things and think that you have wisdom. But what we do with all of that knowledge that we gain in life, how we use it and how we walk our life in the image of Christ and using it to be who God created us to be through our wisdom, is much more complex than just knowing something. You see what I mean? Like you can't wake up and be like oh, I'm a wise, you know, guru or whatever it is you want to call yourself or whatever it is other people call themselves. You can't wake up doing it. You have to have knowledge in some sense, to some extent, in order to turn that into wisdom. That's what wisdom is. Extent in order to turn that into wisdom. That's what wisdom is.

Speaker 1:

It is taking your knowledge, but being able to use your knowledge in a way that is wise, and that's where wisdom comes in, right. So people this is a prime example People know the Bible, but what do they do with what they know about the Bible or what they know from the Bible? It's one thing to know the words in the Bible, it's one thing to study the Bible and learn its words and what it's saying, but it's another thing to actually put those words into action and how you use those, that knowledge that you gain through the Bible, and how you use that in your everyday life. Right, I believe to have knowledge is common, but to have knowledge takes a deeper part. I mean, sorry, I believe to have knowledge is common, but to have wisdom takes a deeper part of our inner being to actually be used. Right. So I believe that knowledge is more worldly based and where our wisdom is more spiritually based, right. So I believe that knowledge is more worldly based and where our wisdom is more spiritually based, right.

Speaker 1:

We gain knowledge through our lives, through our schools, the things that they teach us and then the experiences that we go through. But in connection to that, that is also, we turn that into wisdom. Right, and especially that experience part. That's where, like, testimony comes in. I believe it's like what we experience and what we experience part. That's where, like, testimony comes in. I believe it's like what we experience and what we go through, that's where testimony comes in, but that's wisdom, because God is doing a deeper part for us in our lives in that moment that we gain that wisdom from that knowledge that we gained, from the experience that we had. Right, it's so crazy and I'm so sorry.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to like keep doing this, because when I read chapter eight in Proverbs, like this light bulb just went off in my mind and I just started going off and I just finished right out this whole outline for this podcast episode and I'm like I got to get it out now, Cause even when I was typing, my mind was moving faster than my fingers and so I was trying to type it out and it's kind of like when you're stuttering because you're talking faster than you can think, it's the same thing, and so, yeah, really, I would like I just this is like a fresh outline and I'm ready to like speak on it. So it's going to be very fast paced and very like on the go, but this is something I'm so excited to share Because it's just such a revelation for me, and it's part of wisdom, right. And so it's really crazy that the course that I'm taking right now it could have been for anything. It could have been for a teacher, because that's what I wanted to do back when I was younger. It could have been for a nurse. It could have been for all of these, whatever you know many other subjects that it could have been, but tell me why it ends up being a subject that I don't even know exists. I don't even know what it's about, but when I started learning about what it was about, it's exactly what I do every single day as a mom and as a daughter and as a person in my community. It's so crazy.

Speaker 1:

So the last episode right, I touched on this a little bit and I talked about how, as stay-at-home moms, we often get stuck in a place of discontentment because how our daily lives are set up, with the repetitiveness of it, and how that can become very exhausting in time. You know, progresses. What I started finding out as I kept learning in this course that I'm taking is that the daily things I do and what I experience makes me an expert for that particular community, to help those who struggle like me. And let me also mention again it was absolutely free. I have to say this part because God knew that if I had to pay for school again, I would not go, because I cannot afford to pay for school and be a stay-at-home mom and take care of my kids and do all the things that I'm doing right now, literally.

Speaker 1:

And the fact that it's all online, the fact that it's all online and the only time we go into class is our first class and our last class because we have a presentation and it's only right here, it's only five minutes down the road for me is bizarre. It's bonkers, because you can't tell me that that's not God in this, right now, in where I'm at, and what's going on. That is so God. I have to mention that because this is so important. This is how God works. Guys Like, this is the real fact and reality of it. This is how God works, okay, so what even right that brings? That's good. I'm going to go into my next point, because we got to keep this movie. What even right that brings? That's good. I'm going to go into my next point, because we got to keep this movie.

Speaker 1:

What even is a community work, a health worker? So this is pulled from my experience textbook that we are currently reading the fundamentals of, or the foundations of, a community health worker, and it says a community health worker, or CHW, is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of, and or has an unusually close understanding of, the community served. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to serve as a liaison link, intermediary between health, social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and culture competence of service delivery. A CHW also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy. So that's what that is in a nutshell, based upon the book, and so basically, what I'm learning to do is put what I already do on an everyday basis into practice on a more professional level.

Speaker 1:

Okay, my entire life has been in the encouragement and the advancement of other people's lives, including my husband and my kids, but not to that extent that I'm learning about right now. Right, I'm seeing it as God opening up the little bit more for me to walk through. This is the next thing that I have been asking God to help me out with, but, right, like I needed to do the work to get to where I am right now and God needed me to walk through some things to gain the understanding of wisdom before giving me the knowledge he needed to work with me these past years in building up and gaining understanding of what it means to be wise with what God has given to me. And it's crazy that we just talked about this in our last episode, about discontentment and how I got through, you know, with Christ, all of that. And now we're here, like that's the crazy part. I know I'm like stumbling on my words, but like that's the crazy part, right, like that's what God was teaching me all this time and he had to teach me that first.

Speaker 1:

Right, I couldn't have gotten this opportunity back then, like five, 10 years ago, when I was actually in school. Right, cause you think I, you could think about it now and be like dang, like I could have been doing this course, could have been like perfect back when I was in school. I could have been like perfect back when I was in school. I could have been done with all of this already. I could have been working already. Right, I wouldn't have needed to be a stay-at-home mom. But no, that's not even it. Like I had to do those things, get to this point where I am right now in my life for God to have opened up this opportunity here and now, because all of that work right needed to be done in order for me to be in this moment and gaining knowledge again. God wants me and you to know that. You know, he just needs us to have the correct intake mindset for it, to know what his plans are for our lives, to discern that, using the wisdom that he gives us, to say, okay, this is of God, right. And that's exactly what happened for me with this course.

Speaker 1:

I was it was just off of a whim Like like the girl who had put it on her social media. I went to school with her years ago, never talked to her in a long time and I seen her post and I just reached out to her and I was like, yeah, sure, I'd love to know. She sent me the email and I just left it Like I just left it there. There was no other nothing. A few weeks went by and God started bringing this back up and I mentioned this in my last episode. God started bringing these things back to my attention, like about the course, the free course, there's something, and I was like I don't know. Okay, so I went back to it and I kept praying on it and I kept going back and forth like no, no, I, no, this is not for me, I'm not going to do this. I can't go back to school after all these years, like I'm a, I'm a little mom, I'm 32, almost going to be 32. Sorry, I'm going to be 32 years old, like, come on. But he kept bringing it back and I finally reached out to the coordinator of it and she got back to me and we just kept going and eventually I registered and then I became, I was enrolled in this program and I was scared.

Speaker 1:

I was like, oh my gosh, what did I just do?

Speaker 1:

Like, what did I just do? I don't know what I'm doing right. And he literally led me into this place of like this is the next thing I need you to do. I didn't know everything. I didn't even know what a CHW was. I didn't know what a community health worker was. But God gave me that little bit more and I mentioned this throughout some of my other episodes. He just gave me that little bit more, that little bit more to just go. That's where you need to be next, and I think God does that for me because that's how I am. I cannot look at the whole picture and be obedient to that, because there's so much things. When I see the whole scope of things that I want to change and I want to control, and God's like, yeah, no, I can't have you control any of this, this is not something for you to control, this is something for you to be obedient in and just walk in it. And I'm like, even now I'm still terrified.

Speaker 1:

We're in our second week and we already have it's almost because this course is condensed down, so everything is only a month long, and I think the entire course it's gonna take like six months total, three or four months total, something like that, and so everything is kind of fast-paced and we're already almost to the ending of our, of our semester, of this first class, and it scares me because I'm like man, like is like, is this really like? Am I really gaining? But you know what I feel? Like we, the way the class is set up is like everything is real discussion based, and I'm so for discussion, but obviously I have a podcast, like I'm so discussion based and I love that, like I love that Last night my instructor was talking and he's like, okay, what do you guys think? And I immediately I'm like this is what I think, because you know, like it's and a lot of other people, they're quiet, but I'm like I don't know like God. I feel like God just has me in the right place right now for this thing. And so this is, this is my last, my last point.

Speaker 1:

Proverbs 8, 32 through 36 says and so my children listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instructions and be wise, don't ignore it. Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home, for whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death. All who hate me love death. And this is wisdom talking.

Speaker 1:

Okay, because chapter eight of Proverbs is all about wisdom. It is wisdom speaking from the point of view of you know, as if it were a person, I think, speaking. And so this is wisdom talking to us and like this is so true currently in my life. Right, I always read Proverbs and yet it wasn't until right now did I truly understand what this verse meant. Because for the first time, I actually figured out that having wisdom is a key component in your walk with Christ. And when we learn how to gain that aspect of wisdom, god will allow the knowledge to come for you, like he did for me. Right, because back when I was in school, 11 years prior, I was gaining knowledge. Right, don't get me wrong, but ask me if I had any wisdom to use that knowledge for God's glory. No, I didn't, no-transcript, and it's in the most honest way possible. And I haven't felt more fulfilled than right now. But it's because, with that component of wisdom and then knowledge, there is joy there. And it's funny.

Speaker 1:

Like last episode, I'm talking about being discontent, right, I thought contentment would come in the form of like things and stuff. Right, because that's kind of how I was raised having things, getting things, whatever. But honestly, those things don't even do anything for me. The fact that I'm like in here, gaining wisdom, gaining knowledge, using my knowledge and turning that into wisdom, it truly is bringing me joy and fulfillment in my life right now, and I'm not doing anything much more, I'm not making any much more money than I was last episode. You know what I mean. Like I'm not bringing in billions of dollars and thousands of dollars, and yet that's where I thought my, you know, that's where I thought my joy would come from. Is that? And don't get me wrong, would I love that? Sure, of course that would bring me joy, but lasting, fulfilling joy? No, no way. This, right here, the fact that I'm in school, have a strong relationship with Christ. Gaining knowledge, turning it into wisdom, is bringing me joy. I can say that 100%.

Speaker 1:

Proverbs 9, verse 10, says fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. And I know you're thinking why did you? Why didn't you start with that right being the foundation? But because I only realized this now, and this is after all of that that I first needed to get right with Christ. That's what was the problem my relationship with Christ.

Speaker 1:

Back when I was in school, full time, with no kids. I was a wreck. I was all over the place. I was doing whatever I wanted. I had no relationship with Christ. I knew Christ, right Again. I had knowledge of Christ, I knew who he was, I read the Bible, but I didn't have wisdom. I wasn't able to turn that knowledge into wisdom. At that time I was so into the world and I was so caught up in my own thing. This was not. The foundation of wisdom was not there. The knowledge of Christ was not there. The wisdom of Krishna, the relationship with Christ was not there.

Speaker 1:

Right, and I'm not saying that I'm like this wise owl of all knowing. I'm not guys, I'm not, but for where I am and where God currently has me, he is giving me wisdom and knowledge to do exactly what he is calling me to do in my purpose for him. And I feel this you know kind of life in the season that I am, and it's so intoxicating. It really does bring joy, like true, I mean you kids can hear my voice, but not even only that. Girls like my marriage I mean it's the best that it's ever been. My husband and the way that we interact and communicate is better than it has ever been. And we've been together for 14 years now, since we were in high school, and I don't even know how to explain it, but it's so good.

Speaker 1:

I just posted a post about him and I don't do this often, but I post it. You can go look on my Instagram and on my Facebook and I just posted because he came home yesterday, my car was acting crazy. Came, he came home yesterday, my car was acting crazy. Um, I think the what was it? Something was leaking the radiator, something was leaking coolant. Anyway, sorry, my husband's gonna be like what the hell? I told you. I told you what it was anyway. Um was leaking, something was leaking. My car was being funny.

Speaker 1:

I had to use my mom's car all day. It was crazy back and forth, back and forth. And the moment my husband came home because I was communicating with him throughout the day, the moment he came home, he had himself a snack and he went outside and he went under the hood of my car. He didn't finish till nine o'clock and it just shows, like this dedication that he has to me and our children, the fact that he understands and respects my position in this home. Right, like my wife, needs this car because our children need to go to school. That, in a way, is his way of showing how much he loves and respects me.

Speaker 1:

And I just wrote this you know this post, a really long post about it and I just felt like Holy Spirit was asking me to do that. I don't know why, but we'll see what happens of that, but anyway it's. My marriage is so great, right. And I want this because I want this for every woman who is in the same kind of mindset of like, what am I doing or where is my life going? If you are a stay at home mom, if you are in that space of like, I don't know what my life is going. I'm doing the same thing every day. Lord, you know like I want this joy, this type of fulfillment, for you too. And it's not going to look the same, right. But however God brings you that knowledge, and however you turn that into wisdom, however he guides you in that way, to turn those knowledge into wisdom is the determining factor, and that's going to come from you and Christ. That's going to be the relationship that you and him have, right. And so, from start to finish, as we close out here because I know that this is, I don't want to go too far, but you can definitely have wisdom and knowledge in your season right now. That's my final thoughts on here, right From start to finish.

Speaker 1:

The foundation of wisdom, like Proverbs 9, verse 10, says, the foundation is the fear of the Lord, getting into daily conversation, building your relationship with God, because the fear of the Lord is not, oh my God, I'm afraid of God. The fear of the Lord is knowing who God is and respecting him to the extent, to the innermost extent, that I am going to be obedient in what he's asking me to do, right, walking in obedience. I remember that it doesn't look a certain way or it doesn't have a certain timeframe, that this is you and God, listening to him and walking in that, and then you ask God for the wisdom, you talk to him and you seek him for that wisdom and listen for the places that he's bringing you knowledge right.

Speaker 1:

Mine wasn't only in this course currently. Mine was at home, through my kids, through my husband. It was all the experiences and the podcasts that I listened to, right, the sermons that I listened to, the devotionals that I do all are a part of knowledge. And the Bible when I read it. God can use all of it to build up your wisdom and knowledge in your life, to bring you that lasting joy.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I'm just saying it's such a crazy thought for me because literally 32 years old and I'm only making this revelation now that wisdom is a key component. Right, you think I'm not smart enough for that? That's not. That's not where God has me. No, but to every level wisdom is so important, even if you're not a preacher or a pastor or a, or a evangelist or a um, what is it A theologist, even if you're not any of those things?

Speaker 1:

In Christ, in you know, in the body of Christ, for you being a stay-at-home mom, for you being a working mom, for you being single, for you having no kids, you have a level of wisdom that needs to come with your relationship with Christ and that comes with the knowledge that you gain through your life and through the things that God teaches you.

Speaker 1:

That's how wisdom is going to come through your life and through the things that God teaches you. That's how wisdom is going to come, and I cannot even express any much more how much joy this is bringing to me. You guys can hear it in my voice. But before I go any further, I don't want to take up any more of your guys' time. So thank you guys so much for tuning in to today's episode.

Speaker 1:

This one came to me like a huge wave, literally, that forms out of nowhere and just crashes into you, like it was just a message that I felt I needed to share with you today to give you that encouragement and maybe even clarity that you're asking God for right. I believe that God is using all of these instances in my life to bring strong and connecting stories to you folks, to bring you encouragement in whatever you're currently going through in your life, which is ultimately the goal of my podcast. So thank you, guys, so much for being here. Also, I want to mention that if you've been sticking around and enjoying our conversations, then I would love for you to subscribe to Faith in Between so that we can always be connected. And if you really feel like sharing, I would love for you to write a review, because when you do write a review, it helps other women be able to find faith in between who may want to join our little community here. So I can't tell you guys how blessed it is for me to be here with you every week and I cannot wait to see you guys in the next one.

Speaker 1:

Mahalo, guys, for tuning in. New episodes are posted every other week. If you would like to reference back to any scriptures or quotes that I mentioned in the episode, they will be all in the show notes section of the show. You can also find my handles to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram. I post not only podcast related but life related content as well. Mahalo for tuning in, ladies.

People on this episode

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Uilani Kumuhone (Ui)

Host