Where do you go for
advice? Ellen? Dr. Phil? Judge Judy? Jerry Springer? (Goodness. I hope it isn't
the last one!) Or maybe you turn to your friends whose lives are a mess,
too.
Our natural reaction is
to go to a person who will agree with us and tell us what we want to hear. If
our issue is with another person, we want someone else to be mad right along
with us, someone who will be outraged on our behalf, someone who will not only
listen as we drag our "enemy" through the coals but will throw in a
few zingers of their own. It feels good at the time to receive confirmation
that our reaction is justified and the other person is at fault.
If it's a decision we
need to make, we look for someone who is already doing the very thing we are
pondering. Hooking up with an acquaintance? Moving in with a boyfriend?
Quitting a job? Spending money we don't have? Eating too many french fries?
Your friend who is already participating in foolish behavior will probably
never tell you that you shouldn't, even if in fact, YOU
SHOULDN'T.
It may feel good
temporarily but often times that kind of advice doesn't solve a problem or
result in a good outcome. My dear friend, Debbie, says, "How is that
working out for you?" We can't keep making the same knuckle-headed
decisions and expecting things to turn out differently.
I love that Proverbs
says that WISDOM isn't quiet. She calls
aloud, she raises her voice, she cries out. We can be wise if we truly want to
be.
If we want to make the
wise choices, let's try this:
Get into the word. Proverbs is a great place to start,
and I challenge you to read a different chapter in that book each day. It
will change you.
Ask God for it. James 1:5 "If any of
you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without
finding fault, and it will be given to you."
Pray about it with a mentor or someone who has your
best interest at heart and will help you see all sides of a situation.
When we know the wise thing to do, do it.
Let's be known as a
community of wise women who is allowing the Holy Spirit to CHANGE us from the
inside out as we make the wise choices for our families, our communities,
ourselves. That is the kind of life that
will bring glory to Jesus.
