As many of you Back 9’ers know I write from experience and being a “work in progress.” Seeking to grow my faith and always looking to feed on spiritual “meat” and not “milk.” I strive to encourage others with what God is teaching me.
With that being said….I have taken a break from posting in the last several months due to planning our daughter’s wedding which took much of my time. I knew I only had one daughter and would be an MOB one time. No “do overs.”
I didn’t take time off with the Lord. In fact, my time increased. But I did take time away from posting. I have learned so much from the wedding process. God has used it to teach me many things which I plan on sharing in the next several weeks or months. I pray it will encourage you and strengthen your faith.
I have always been one to want to seek advice and surround myself with people who know more than me! I learned this from my dad. He is now 85 but was a road contractor for 50 years and did it successfully without a college degree.
What I learned from him was…nothing beats hard work.
If you are willing to work and sacrifice and surround yourself with hardworking people and fill in areas where you are weak or lack knowledge, then you are almost guaranteed success. 🙂 I have watched him live the scripture found in Proverbs 24:6. “Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisors.” And in Proverbs 19:8, ”The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.”
To build roads you need engineers. You need people who know how to bid and much more. All my life I watched him surround himself with qualified people and seek wisdom, especially from the Lord.
With this being said, as I put on the MOB hat last October, the first thing I did was pick up the phone and call one of my all time best friends who had recently hung up her MOB hat after helping her daughter with a destination wedding. Her wedding was beautiful and ultra successful so I knew her wisdom would be invaluable. All along the way her advice was encouraging, calming and spot on!
She encouraged me to hire a wedding planner because I would not want to be in charge at my daughter’s wedding. She advised that I would want to focus on enjoying the process and the big day. Up until the week before the wedding she left me voice mails with all kinds of tips and advice. Tips like ordering clear hanging backpacks. Packing all clothes, shoes, and jewelry for every event in separate bags. It allowed for more space in my brain for the unexpected that would inevitably come up. She also told me that there would be “glitches,” there always are, so just “roll with them.” Now that I look back, HER ADVICE was invaluable.
As people have been so kind to give compliments during and after the wedding, I think back to the initial conversations I had with Sheryl. I thank the good Lord that I determined early on that I am not an expert and I would have to defer to the people who knew more than me. From Cricket and Sara, the event planners, to Lucas Brown the photographer, to Barbara, the food and beverage expert, to Jana the florist.
I have really learned that you “live life forward but you understand it backwards.”
So I have learned to reflect often so as to imprint the lessons on my brain in such a way that living life forward can be a learning and growing process…leading to success.
God’s word never fails me. It is invaluable for all life events. Seeking wisdom from those who are experts in a field is also “prudent.” We are encouraged in Proverbs 1:8 to embrace wisdom. “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
I encourage you…if you are heading into an event or a life occurrence in which the path is “new,” seek wisdom from those who have done the experience WELL…..who are qualified.
Don’t we want the very best doctor when we are sick? Then why wouldn’t we want the best advice from any expert in any area? I realize money can hold us back from getting the “best” but there are many people with big hearts who are willing to advise and give wisdom. Just be sure they are qualified. For example, do you want to pick a builder who has a house that has fallen down? Or who has built only a few houses? Or do you want a builder who has been building for years with quality work to show for it?
How about marriage? Do you seek wisdom from someone whose marriage has broken down or who has been married for just a few years? Or do you go to someone who has been married for years, has experience and is a Christ follower?
Don’t get me wrong. House builders who have made mistakes and people whose marriages have failed can offer what not to do I am sure. But If I had to pick WISDOM, it would be from someone who has had ULTRA SUCCESS.
Point of post…ultimate wisdom is found in God and His word but the word also says we should seek WISE counsel. The advice of a few can add to your learning. From my personal experience, the most successful people are very WISE in whom they choose to listen to. If you seek God and listen carefully to Him, HE is faithful to lead you and lead you to the right people. Praising God that He provided the right people to help me be an MOB!
I end today with this passage which sums up just how important it is to get wisdom.
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path” (Proverbs 2:1-9).
“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” ~Charles Spurgeon