The Plumbline

Some people like to do things their own way, and they get upset when people give them advice. Fools don’t want to learn from others. They only want to tell their own ideas. (Proverbs 18:1-2) Some people just cannot see any other solution to their issue than what they can manage to come up with in their own minds or through their own power. To suggest something outside of that imagined solution somehow makes you the "crazy one" in the equation! There is much danger in being so determined to just do things our own way, though. In many circumstances, the way we determine to be the "best" or "right" may just be the easiest and present the least resistance. I know I have chosen this option more than a few times, only to find out that the easiest "up front" isn't always the easiest on the "back end". My pride kept me from finding out if there was an "easier" or "better" way other than what my mind could muster on it...

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life. I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns. Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip. Guard it well—your life is at stake! Don’t take Wicked Bypass; don’t so much as set foot on that road. Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth. Make a detour and be on your way. (Proverbs 4:10-15) Is it possible wisdom could add years to our lives? If we believe what God says, then it quite possibly could! When someone tells you something in such a way that it 'lingers' for a while in your thoughts, it might just be the thing they have shared has some significant meaning. It could be a warning to not proceed based on something they have already figured out, or it could be the...

Life Hack #10: We all need advice on occasion, while we stand ready to give it on others. Sometimes it is quite welcomed, and at others it is resented and rejected because it was totally unwanted. Most advice comes with a little bit of opinion attached, but it could also be a statement of truth which is difficult to ignore. Advice is really any opinion or recommendation offered as a guide for action or conduct. We see someone about to perform a particular action or exhibit conduct which will result in harm to them or another, and our immediate response may be to offer some "advice" to not do it. Have you ever noticed that we are quick to offer advice, but sometimes quite slow to accept it? It is much easier to offer an opinion than it is to accept the recommendations of that someone on the outside looking into our lives! Don’t bother talking sense to fools; they’ll only poke fun at your words. (Proverbs 23:9) We mull over advice in our brains, then we figure out how to...

  Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you; never forget what you learned at your mother’s knee. Wear their counsel like a winning crown, like rings on your fingers. Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don’t go along with them... Oh, friend, don’t give them a second look; don’t listen to them for a minute. They’re racing to a very bad end, hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on... When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are. (Proverbs 1:8-9) As I was growing up, I remember that time around my teen years when I began to think I knew more than my parents. Somewhere around the age of 21 or so, magically my parents became the smartest people on the planet again! How did that happen? My parents didn't get 'magically smarter' - they were pretty doggone smart all along - I was the goofy one thinking I didn't need their advice and wisdom. The advice and wisdom they possessed wasn't 'book-learned...

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) We all have received advice at one time or another, embraced it, and seen the difference in our lives as a result of that sage council. There are probably a few other times we have received 'advice' that we didn't really grasp hold of simply because of the way it was presented to us! As a novice in investing, I appreciated the advice of a more knowledgeable friend when I was seeking ways to make my retirement fund grow. As a novice nurse, I looked to my 'elders' in nursing to help me develop the little tips and tricks they don't teach in nursing curriculum so as to no miss important facts about the patient and to improve the level of trust the physicians placed in me in caring for their patients. We all can grow from advice, but if we treat the Word of God as mere 'advice' we can either accept or reject, we will somehow ...

"Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley."  (Theodore Roethke) I had the chance to head to a lovely area of the Northern Arizona rim country this past week, enjoying a little R&R with my BFF and some quality time in nature. It always manages to recenter my focus and calm my weary body, despite the strenuous climbs down paths unknown, or long days awaiting those telltale nibbles that let me know there is a fish on the hook! One of my favorite things to do is to just look out over high places on the mountain's edge and see the vastness of the valleys below. While I appreciate the many things seen deeper down into those valleys, such as the lush meadows, abundant wildlife, and tall pines, I always appreciate the perspective one can obtain when one climbs to the top of the mountain for just a little bit of a different vantage point. As Roethke said, the path is there, but sometimes we just need to change our vantage point to see it...

"He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other." (Francis Bacon) Good advice comes from various sources - sometimes the wise words of a cherished friend, at others a discovered truth from God's Word, and at times it even comes from those we might not think to really have had much influence in our lives until we look back and see their fingerprints in what has become our "molded character". Many times advice is sought, but there are also times when it is offered without anyone asking for it. In those moments, it can be listened to, heeded, and result in some type of impact in our lives. It can also be ignored, not acted upon, and result in an even bigger impact. The key isn't that we acted or didn't act - it is in discerning which was the advice we were to heed and which it was we were to...

"It takes a great man to give sound advice tactfully, but a greater to accept it graciously."  (Logan Pearsall Smith) Tactfulness is simply the ability to know what to say or do in order to avoid offending somebody.  Some call it the necessary "social skill" in order to deal with "difficult" or "sensitive" situations.  Truth be told, my tactfulness flies out the window if I get too tired, a little frustrated because I am behind on projects, or just don't take the time to think before I speak.  If tactfulness is that hard to be consistent with as we respond to people and circumstances, then maybe this is why we have a few more opportunities to "put things right" than we'd really like!  Sometimes we are on the receiving end of tactfulness, while at others we are expected to be the ones exhibiting a little.  It goes both ways, but sometimes the opportunities are a little more "one-sided" because one of the individuals is...

Advice:  an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action, conduct, or some business you are about to engage in.  We have probably all offered advice at one point or another in our lives - sometimes solicited, at others not so much. Then there are those times when we have been the "subject" of advice!  You know what that it like!  You are forced to sit and listen while others who don't know exactly what you are thinking, feeling, or going through proport to have exactly the right piece of wisdom to get you through at the moment.  In those moments, you almost feel like turning tail and running as fast as you can away from the advice giver!  Why?  You are neither in the place to receive it, nor are they in the place to give it!  There are lots and lots of rules in life we must follow, but not all advice is worth following.  One of the rules my daughter established when the boys were very young was one she learned growing up - brush yo...

I will admit to foolish mistakes I have made, because if I do, just maybe someone else will avoid those pitfalls.  When someone is willing to share how they got to where they are today, we call that mentoring.  When someone shares the wisdom they have accumulated through many hardships, tough times, and emotional roller-coasters, we should revel in their willingness to share the path they took and learn about the various twist and turns life put in their way.  When Solomon put pen to paper, recording those various twists and turns he had learned from by observing his father's life, the pitfalls of some of the ways his brothers handled situations in life, and then his own pathway to "the top", we should glean as much from them as we can.  It amazes me how much is packed into thirty-one chapters.  If I had to choose which books of the Bible are my favorite, the Proverbs would be right up there.  Why?  There is much to the sensibility of what is shared t...

Advice - we all need it on occasion, give it on others.  Sometimes it is welcomed, at others it is resented and rejected.  Some advice comes with a little bit of opinion attached, while others is simply a statement of truth which is difficult to ignore.  By definition, advice is an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide for action or conduct.  Sometimes we see someone about to perform a particular action or exhibit conduct which will result in harm to them or another - our immediate response may be to offer some "advice" to not do it, right?  Have you ever noticed that we are quick to offer advice, but sometimes quite slow to take it?  It is much easier to offer an opinion than it it to accept the recommendations of one on the outside looking in! Don’t bother talking sense to fools;   they’ll only poke fun at your words. (Proverbs 23:9 MSG) Some of us will accept the words of advice we receive - mull them over in our brains a little - th...

We can "get" something and we can "take" something.  They have very different meanings, don't they?  To "get" something does not always mean we put it to use in our lives - we just "possess" it as ours, but it may not have an impact on our lives.  To "take" something implies we intend to put it into use. When we "take" a piece of bread from the plate, we likely are more apt to use it to sop up the gravy on our plate than when we just have it casually placed on a dish next to our dinner plate.  To "take" good counsel and accept correction means we actually do something with what we receive in the way of counsel and apply the corrective measures to ensure the outcome of our plans is different than it would have been without the counsel or correction.  When we get something, we are being affected by it - it changes us in some way. This is what God had in mind when he instructed us to live wisely and well by taking t...

And those who think they know so much,  ignoring everything you tell them—let them have it!   Don't let them mock and humiliate me;  I've been careful to do just what you said.  While bad neighbors maliciously gossip about me,  I'm absorbed in pondering your wise counsel.   Yes, your sayings on life are what give me delight;  I listen to them as to good neighbors! (Psalm 119:21-24 The Message) As we continue on with our study in Psalm 119, we find that David makes a little deviation from his "positive" focus!  He actually asks God to "get" his enemies!  It is kind of like saying, "Sick 'em!" to a dog!  He is obviously a little frustrated with his "supposed" friends - those he has kept company with, and maybe some he just knows as acquaintances.  They are engaged in gossip against him - picking him apart.   David continues with his customary "condition - result" way of framing his thoughts.  Here's the con...