Listening to wisdom

Proverbs 5:1 (NLT)

My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel.

Solomon's lectures are not designed to fill our heads with notions, with matters of nice speculation, or doubtful disputation, but to guide us in the government of ourselves, that we may act prudently, so as becomes us and so as will be for our true interest. [Matthew Henry]

The other day I listened to a friend describe what they call a feedback session at their job. The intent of the feedback session is to cover a situation or event an employee was involved in and provides constructive feedback to the person.  The intent is to help the employee learn how to better handle an issue in the future. There are no disciplinary actions associated with the feedback session; instead it is an opportunity to listen to another’s wisdom and gain from their knowledge.

In this case my friend had to cover an issue with a fellow employee. My friend was careful to explain how he saw what had taken place and how the employee could better themselves the next time. After listening for a short while the employee told my friend he felt like he was being disciplined. Yet there were no disciplinary actions to be taken. This was a constructive feedback session to help the employee deal with future circumstances in the most professional manner. My friend reassured the employee this was for their benefit and no actions were to be taken.

So why would someone feel like they were being disciplined when they were receiving constructive feedback?  Unfortunately there could be many reasons that came from the persons past. They may have had parents who disciplined for any and all negative actions. The person may have low self-respect or low self-esteem and therefore they believe any comments against them to be negative and hurtful. They may have been in negative relationships where their good qualities were never validated and their bad qualities were emphasized.

Yet, what was the intent of the session? It was an opportunity to learn from another’s wisdom without any repercussions or disciplinary actions. Just by listening and understanding their mistakes they could avoid making the same mistake in the future where the consequences could be greater.

If you know someone is trying to help you, put aside your feelings and listen to their wisdom. By paying attention you could improve yourself and learn to deal with the realities of life. In fact maybe the person talking to you has been in the same position before and learned how to effectively deal with whatever took place. Had they not listened to wisdom they would not have the chance to pass it on.

Strong and courageous

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

For the present and future generations of those who trust it God, it is a comforting thought that the same grace of God will be present as it has been in the past. God’s presence will watch over us and we can be strong and courageous knowing God is with us. Therefore do not be afraid nor discouraged.

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849. She immediately became involved in the abolitionist movement, organizing meetings, speaking against slavery, and the like.

But that wasn't enough for Tubman. She decided to return to the South secretly and deliver other slaves to freedom. It was a great risk, because if she had been caught, she would certainly have been thrown back into slavery or killed as an example to other potential runaways.

But not only did she return to the South that one time, she went back 19 times, to eventually rescue some 300 fellow slaves. Each trip became more risky, as slave catchers were on the alert for her. But each time she embarked on the journey, and each time, with God's help, she confessed, she evaded the authorities.  [Matt Donnelly, "Black Moses: The mystical faith and no-nonsense tactics of the Underground Railroad’s Most Famous Leader," Christian History, issue 62, volume 2, page 24.]

General George Patton once said, "Courage is fear that has said its prayers."

When we know God is with us we do not have to be afraid; for He is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. He protects the lives of His godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.

God knows where I am going

Job 23:10-11 (NLT)

10 But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. 11 For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside.

Jobs friends had judged him for things they did not know and for which he was never guilty. Here we find Job’s confident reply that God is the witness to his integrity and that he lived a life satisfying to himself and God.

Admiral William H. McRaven, a 36-year Navy SEAL veteran, gave the commencement address to the Class of 2014 at the University of Texas in Austin. He titled his talk "10 Lessons to Change the World." Here's his first lesson about how to change the world:

Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors … would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack—rack—that's Navy talk for bed.

It was a simple task—mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle hardened SEALs—but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.

If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day … By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. [Admiral William H. McRaven, "Admiral McRaven: 10 Lessons to Help Change the World," Real Clear Politics (5-22-14)]

Because God knew his way, Job turned from the unjust judgments of his unfeeling friends and appealed to the Lord God Himself. He pleaded in the supreme court, where his case was known, and he refused the verdicts of erring men. He that doeth right seeketh the light; and as Job saw that the light was with God, he hastened to that light, that his deeds might be made manifest. [C.H. Spurgeon]

If you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love

Proverbs 14:22 (NLT)

22 If you plan to do evil, you will be lost; if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness.

Those who think themselves skilled in the labors of sin will soon find themselves at ruin. Those who plan and do good things please God; to which God’s response is to give grace and make Himself the debtor.

James Robertson, of Detroit walked twenty miles a day and in that time, Robertson has never missed a day of work. "I just believe a man should work. Work takes care of your soul. The rest takes care of itself."

This outlook may have made Robertson rich in spirit, but it has not made him rich in fact. He can't afford a car; he clears only $320 a week, and auto insurance can top $5,000 a year in Detroit. His landlord charges him $220 a week for the room. When it's all said and done, there's nothing left after groceries and bus fare. That's how it is in Detroit. Like running on quick sand.

The local newspaper got hold of his story a couple weeks ago. And then the TV. And then the internet. Pictures of a humble, raggedy man shambling through 14 inches of snow. A working class hero. The story went viral. And that's when the trouble started.

More than $350,000 in donations poured into a GoFundMe account set up for him. A local Ford dealership gave him a flaming-red Taurus loaded with options. But the well-meaning dealership may as well have painted a bull's-eye on the hood and attached a vanity plate that screamed: Come get me! I'm rich!

After that, everybody knew him. And everybody wanted something. The neighborhood started showing up on his porch with their palms out, though Robertson has yet to receive any of the money. His girlfriend — the one who owns the house and charges him 200 bucks for the bedroom — demanded a payout, he said. So did her ex-husband who lives with them. So did her adult son who lives with them. So did the other dude who lives with them. [Extracts from news.vice.com, Detroit’s walking man walks on, by Charlie Leduff]

James Robertson’s work ethics and goodness of heart inspired others to help James. They poured their love out upon him; but sadly those who wanted to do evil turned against James. Thankfully the people who truly loved and supported James came to his assistance and found him a new place to live, a new place to park and they are seeing how they can help him further.

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven

Proverbs 17:9 (NLT)

9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

The ripping up of faults is the ripping out of love, and nothing tends more to the separating of friends, and setting them at variance, than the repeating of matters that have been in variance; for they commonly lose nothing in the repetition, but the things themselves are aggravated and the passions about them revived and exasperated. The best method of peace is by an amnesty or act of oblivion. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

Amy Sutherland communicates some interesting ideas about husbands and wives in an article she wrote for the New York Times called, "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage." Sutherland begins by explaining that, after 12 years of marriage, she became dismayed that her husband still exhibited several irritating habits. Her reaction to this realization is shared by many women today:

These minor annoyances are not the stuff of separation and divorce, but in sum they began to dull my love for Scott. I wanted—needed—to nudge him a little closer to perfect, to make him into a mate who might annoy me a little less, who wouldn't keep me waiting at restaurants, a mate who would be easier to love.

So, like many wives before me, I ignored a library of advice books and set about improving him. By nagging, of course, which only made his behavior worse: he'd drive faster instead of slower; shave less frequently, not more; and leave his reeking bike garb on the bedroom floor longer than ever.

A breakthrough came when Amy began traveling to a school for exotic animal trainers in California in order to research a book she wanted to write:

I listened, rapt, as professional trainers explained how they taught dolphins to flip and elephants to paint. Eventually it hit me that the same techniques might work on that stubborn but loveable species, the American husband.

The central lesson I learned from exotic animal trainers is that I should reward behavior I like and ignore behavior I don't. After all, you don't get a sea lion to balance a ball on the end of its nose by nagging. The same goes for the American husband.

Back in Maine, I began thanking Scott if he threw one dirty shirt into the hamper. If he threw in two, I'd kiss him. Meanwhile, I would step over any soiled clothes on the floor without one sharp word, though I did sometimes kick them under the bed. But as he basked in my appreciation, the piles became smaller.

[Amy Sutherland, "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage," The New York Times (6-25-06)]

Dale Carnegie once said, “If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive.” 

Learn to listen

Proverbs 18:13 (NLT)

13 Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.

Some take a pride in being quick. They answer a matter before they hear it, hear it out, nay, as soon as they but hear of it. They think it is their honour to take up a cause suddenly; and, when they have heard one side, they think the matter so plain that they need not trouble themselves to hear the other; they are already apprized of it, and masters of all the merits of the cause. Whereas, though a ready wit is an agreeable thing to play with, it is solid judgment and sound wisdom that do business. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

 One day an old man was casually walking along a country lane with his dog and his mule. Suddenly a speeding pick-up truck careened around the corner, knocking the man, his mule, and his dog into the ditch.

The old man decided to sue the driver of the truck, seeking to recoup the cost of the damages. While the old man was on the stand, the counsel for the defense cross-examined the man by asking a simple question: "I want you to answer 'yes' or 'no' to the following question: Did you or did you not say at the time of the accident that you were 'perfectly fine'"?

And the man said, "Well, me and my dog and my mule were walking along the road … " And the counsel for defense said, "Stop, stop, I asked you, tell me 'yes' or 'no', did you say you were 'perfectly fine' at the time of the accident?"

"Well, me and my dog and my mule were walking along the road and … " The defense attorney appealed to the judge. "Your honor," he said, "the man is not answering the question. Would you please insist that he answer the question?" The judge said, "Well, he obviously wants to tell us something. Let him speak."

So the man said, "Well, me and my dog and my mule were walking along the road and this truck came around the corner far too fast, knocked us into the ditch. The driver stopped, got out of his truck, saw my dog was badly injured, went back to his truck, got his rifle, and he shot it. Then he saw that my mule had broken his leg so he shot it. Then he said, 'How are you?' And I said, 'I'm perfectly fine.'"

It is to our advantage to take time to listen to the entire story before coming to a conclusion. As The Bible tells us we need to be quick listen and slow to speak so that we have time to absorb and process the information before us.

Nothing can separate us

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In these verses the apostle tells us the things that might try and separate us from the love of God and then concludes it cannot be done. There is nothing that can separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus.

Leeza Gibbon’s mother, Gloria Jean Gibbons passed away in May of 2008 at the age of 72. Gloria Jean, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1999 -- after witnessing her own mother's long struggle with the disease. Knowing only too well what lay ahead for her, Gloria Jean Dyson Gibbons gathered her family to give them instructions for coping as her disease progressed. She urged her daughter to "tell this story and make it count."

Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease because it slowly empties a person of who they were. Slowly over time their body becomes empty of the memories they once had. Leeza once said, I remember being home in my mother's house in South Carolina, helping her make the bed, and she was watching my every movement closely and trying to mirror what I was doing. Then she stopped and looked at me, and I said, "What's the matter, Mom?"

She said, "You're a very nice lady. How do I know you?" And I just smiled and said, "You know me because today I'm your daughter, yesterday I was your daughter, and I'll always be your daughter." And she said, "Oh."

There are times we forget how much God cares for us. Yet through the struggles, God constantly reminds us that today He is our God, yesterday He was our God and He will always be our God. No power can separate us from the love of God.

[abstracts from https://www.caring.com/interviews/interview-with-leeza-gibbons-about-her-mom-s-alzheimer-s]