Have we been guilty of that one way or another? I know I have. Sometimes, and sometimes I get advice from so many different kinds of people, I tend to filter them by how they are related to me. Then it becomes selective listening, where I take certain advice and leave some out.
Like my mom's. I can almost hear her lectures once again.
It's hard to get good advice nowadays, especially when people dispense them with little or no comprehension of the weight of the advice. But we still need advice, needn't we? And people come to us for advice, especially when we have such high regard towards life. I may not have many people that come to me for advice, simply because I might not appear to be someone who has much wisdom or maturity, which is fine .. but I realize that when I ask for advice, it comes almost too easily.
I think I would term it as .. dispensing advice. First, there's the diagnose of your condition, which then the advice will be dispensed. I fear that many times, it's the middle part that goes missing. Where does this advice come from? Is it out of human wisdom or comprehension or is there real spiritual wisdom and truth that backs the advice up with a strong foundation?
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.
- Proverbs 18:2
Sometimes, people don't go beyond the "common" replies such as ,"Oh, pray and God will answer you!" or .. "All things are possible through Christ who strengthens you!" I mean, there's nothing wrong with advice like these since they're all from the bible .. but if there's no real understanding of the person NOR the situation at hand then it's like what the verse says. Of course, we all say that we genuinely care for the person and when we advice the person .. we hope for the best outcome for the person situation.
But what about what God's outcome for the person?
I admit that there were many times when I "dispensed" advice. Of course, most cases were on an ad-hoc basis .. because .. well .. not many people come to me for advice. But it's a challenge for me to step beyond that. NOT that I've never sought God for HIS words of wisdom, but yeah .. to ALWAYS do that when someone approaches for advice is definitely somewhere I'd like to be. Being led by the Spirit to speak words of truth and wisdom to people.
The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
- Proverbs 18:4
In another translation [The Message] "Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs." Sometimes, people always feel the need to saw something. I always feel the need to say something. And it doesn't help when there's the expectation or preconception that you always have something to say. Deep water gushes, irregardless of whether you have control or not. Artesian wells, according to the dictionary .. means a well that flows to the surface naturally. I guess the keyword here is naturally.
NATO
No Action. Talk Only. That was the most valuable lesson that … my History teacher taught me. I hated History, you see. It's a bad attitude to have, and it'll only bring more damage. What am I referring to? Just dispensing advice, without follow up, without giving the person's welfare a second thought, or just plain ignorance. I pray that I will not be like that.
I guess, my point is that we should seek to be people who give godly advice. And follow through at it. How? That's another entry altogether, but I think that the few points below should suffice:
- To know the Word of God, so that words wouldn't be of our own but of the Bible
- To be prayerful and sensitive to God, whenever talking/counseling/advising. How? Pray everyday le.
- Seek godly counsel for yourself too.
Tall order, aye? As I wrote this, I'm challenged. Again, it's easy to TYPE .. but not easy to .. take action on.
Lord, be my guide and my help. Amen.
David[hmm]
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