God gives us Christian brothers & sisters in order to spur each other on in our Christian growth. In relation to my previous post, these people are valuable sources of wisdom. I'm thankful that I have a few close friends whom I trust enough to help me make good & godly decisions.
Scenario: A friend comes to you for advice & you tell her your opinion. Yet, after weighing up her options, she chooses the option that you advised against. How would you feel? Would you judge her in her 'wrong' decision? Would you still support her in her decision?
At the end of the day, I know that any decisions I make are my own & that I have to bear the consequences of them. To go against their advice (not purposefully) may seem like a stupid thing to do. But to ignore your own instincts & feelings is hard as well. Your friends can only steer you in the direction they think is best., but you're still the captain of your own ship. However, you still need to take into account the wisdom that God gives in the form of your friends or older & wiser people in church.
So where do you find the balance when there is no clear distinction between black & white? Is it all just a matter of trusting that God will work His good purposes out no matter what?
I wish I had gone to MYC this year... haha.
Scenario: A friend comes to you for advice & you tell her your opinion. Yet, after weighing up her options, she chooses the option that you advised against. How would you feel? Would you judge her in her 'wrong' decision? Would you still support her in her decision?
At the end of the day, I know that any decisions I make are my own & that I have to bear the consequences of them. To go against their advice (not purposefully) may seem like a stupid thing to do. But to ignore your own instincts & feelings is hard as well. Your friends can only steer you in the direction they think is best., but you're still the captain of your own ship. However, you still need to take into account the wisdom that God gives in the form of your friends or older & wiser people in church.
So where do you find the balance when there is no clear distinction between black & white? Is it all just a matter of trusting that God will work His good purposes out no matter what?
I wish I had gone to MYC this year... haha.
3 comments:
Wow... what an interesting post. Contrasting the paradox of reason and advice... intuition and counsel...
It is a tricky thing. I recall having made a lot of decisions on the advice of counsel and have resulted in 'sub-optimal' consequences. While at the same time, sometimes I listened to advice but performed contrary and still obtained 'sub-optimal' results (not to mention the "I told you so"s post the event).
The problem isn't necessarily a consequentialist one... (what is the end result at the end of the day?)
I reckon at the bottom line, as you have said, the decisions you make are you own and that you have to bear the consequences of making them. It is that recognition of responsibility which will propel an individual to learn from mistakes or positive decisions and grow in wisdom for future references.
I reckon there is wisdom in listening to counsel, and there is wisdom in NOT listening to counsel at times. God has given us a brain and His Holy Spirit which will teach us His glorious wisdom. I think it is the reliance upon His word and seeking His counsel in earnestness that distinguishes a Christian.
Sometimes the decisions are inconsequential and a matter of freedom, sometimes the decisions have grave consequences but at the point of making them, it is unrecognisable that they are big problems.
Like I said, one of the great joys of wisdom is getting to know it. Enjoy discovering wisdom! The lessons can be harsh ones, but one way or another God will make plain to you. =)
who or what do you trust more? your intuition or external objectivity (or lack thereof)? pride or humility?
in the end, it is your choice, so suck it up and take responsibility for it.
sometimes it's just simplier to just make your choice and get on with life, and contrary to the previous post, is there anything such as sub-optimal if God is the underlying overseer for your good?
Thanks for your comment.
Of course nothing is sub-optimal in the overall big picture. But it can seem that way sometimes because, let's face it, sometimes we make bad decisions (I'm sure you have too). That part is our responsibility & of course you shouldn't shirk it. So there is wisdom in thinking things through.
And with every decision, no matter how it turns out, we do have to trust that it is for our good.
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