The Alchemy of Life: Crafting Wisdom from Everyday Events

Every resume asks the question,

“What experience do you have?”

What follows is a long list of tasks and duties done on a job.

But we’ve all known people with “years of experience” that were only one year of experience repeated twenty times.

Experience is not the same as experiences.

You can travel the world and still be shallow.

Or you can live quietly and be wise beyond your years.

Experiences Vs. Experience

Experiences are events and people you encounter through life. Experience is what you have gained from them.

A person can travel to Paris, take thousands of pictures, and eat their fill of croissants, but still lack the essence of what makes Paris what it is.

Experiences are grapes.

Experience is wine.

A pantry full of food? It’s storage—until heat and skill turn it into a meal.

Paul’s Lessons

What would you think of a man who had encountered the worst of life?

Danger.

Threat.

Even death.

Paul, God’s ambassador, had his share of experiences—and he didn’t hide them.

“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” (2 Corinthians 11:24–27, NIV)

Those words could have been Paul’s photo album—snapshots of pain and hardship.

Instead, they became his classroom.

The forge that tempered his faith.

He told the Philippians from a Roman jail,

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11–13, NIV)

He never wasted an experience.

Closer to Home

Our lives may not be as dramatic as Paul’s, but they’re full of moments that can shape us.

When the bills outgrow the paycheck, you learn to get through.

When a marriage weathers hard seasons, the bond grows stronger. That’s the stuff golden anniversaries are made of.

I think of my parents.

Late in life, my mother developed Parkinson’s Disease. Neuropathy robbed her legs of strength. The falls became more frequent, and—against her will—she had to move into a nursing home.

My father, recently retired, confided that this was not the retirement he had imagined. Yet, every day, he went to see her.

He talked with her.

Helped her.

Read his paper in her room.

He stayed even when she grew frustrated and bitter at what life had handed her.

He refused to escape.

What value was that? I know.

I saw what love for a spouse means.

I saw what “for better or for worse” looks like.

When she passed, he was there.

He carried the experiences.

I carried away the experience.

Turning Rain into a Reservoir

Experiences are the rain that falls—sometimes they flood your life. But collected and filtered, becomes a well available in need.

How do you turn a downpour into a reservoir?

First, notice them.

We live through days on autopilot. What happened? How did you feel or respond?

Second, process them.

Experiences turn into experience when distilled into meaning. What did you learn? What would you change? What do you want to avoid in the future? Look for patterns. What is God teaching you in this situation? Use a journal to keep track of your lessons.

Third, share them.

Teaching cements experience because it helps others.. The wise man can avoid many troubles in life if he listens to those who have learned the hard lessons the hard way. And, you deepen the lesson by sharing.

The Choice We Have

Our life will be full of experiences. Whether they become experience is up to you.

Grapes rot if you never make wine.

A pantry gathers dust if you never cook.

Rain runs off if you never store it.

Don’t collect moments.

Press them. Pour them. And let them become wisdom.