Wisdom Wednesday: Seek Counsel

Have you ever felt like you could figure things out on your own when faced with a formidable problem?  While we can draw on things we’ve learned, when problems are that big, we need to seek help, because oftentimes, being so close to the problem can prevent us from seeing everything.  Besides, we don’t know everything either, and the smallest bit of counsel can make a world of difference.

“He that will not be counseled cannot be helped.”  —Irish proverb

“A man is often a good advisor to others and a bad advisor to himself.”  —Irish proverb

“ Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the mulitude of counsellors they are established.”  —Proverbs 15:22

Not only should you seek counsel, but you should seek out people who are wise and have the experience to know what they’re talking about.  An example of not doing so is recorded in 1 Kings 12.  When King Solomon’s son, Rehoboam became king, he first asked his father’s old advisors for advice, but he apparently didn’t like their advice, so he asked the young men who had been his companions.  Following their advice sparked a revolution and a split in the kingdom.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”  —Psalms 1:1

“The answers you get depend on the questions you ask.”  —Thomas Kuhn

Photo credits:  emre nacigil and shirleybnz