run from or run to?…

another wise choice i can make is to decide to get good advice.

there’s a book in the old testament called proverbs.  peppered through that book is a recurring theme: we can be greatly assisted in life if we get good advice. 

proverbs 11.14 (niv), many advisors make victory sure.

           

proverbs 13.20 (niv), walk with the wise and become wise.  but a companion of fools suffers harm.  that’s why it says get good advise.  not just any old advice will do.  you need to get advise from people who have wisdom, who can give wise counsel.

proverbs 19.20 (niv), listen to advise and accept instruction.  in the end you will be wise.  the most successful women and men i have ever seen have surrounded themselves with good advisors and with wise counselors.

alfred p. slone for many years led the powerful general motors corporation.  one time after the board made a very vital strategic decision and the board had voted unanimously on the decision alfred sloan said this, “gentlemen, i take it that we’re all in complete agreement on the decision here.  so i propose that we postpone the decision until our next meeting to give ourselves time to develop some disagreement and maybe get some understanding of what this decision is all about.”  he knew that they had made that decision way too casually.  they had come to a unanimous agreement way too quickly.  he wanted to make sure that they weren’t just keeping silent because he was chairman of the board and they were inferior to him.  he wanted to make sure that they weren’t just people pleasers wanting to go along and not rock the boat.  he was trying to teach them, i want people on this board who will challenge very idea that’s put forward so we’ll make the best possible decisions.  he wanted good counsel.

some people don’t want good counsel.  they know that the good counsel will go against what they inwardly really want to do whether it’s good decision or not. 

let me ask you a personal question.  have you ever been in the midst of making a decision and you intentionally avoided your CHRISTian friends because you knew that they would disagree with the decision you were getting ready to make?  that should be a huge red flag about that decision.  foolish people run from advice.  wise people run to advise.

Just a thought from the front porch...