Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
But in an abundance of counselors there is safety
Proverbs 11:14
One of the opportunities that I have had the privilege to be a part of is raising puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind. We have had the opportunity to raise 5 dogs and 2 of them have gone on to assist those that are vision impaired have more freedom as these dogs have become the “eyes” for these individuals. It was a wonderful opportunity to be a part of this very worthwhile endeavor. Many have asked us if we will do this again, and I always answer that I don’t know. I would love to do it again, but life has been full.
These dogs are guides for people that are vision impaired so that they do not fall. Our verse today from Proverbs is not talking about the physical act of walking, but it is referring to the living of one’s life. When we live life, there are many decisions that one must make as we go through life. There is not one decision that is made in life that there is not someone who has an opinion about that decision.
We live in the information age. We can “Google” anything. The word “google” refers to 10 to the 100th power. In other words, an unfathomable number. When we “google” something we get an unfathomable number of hits that come up with a solution to our “problem.”
Scripture is not referring to us googling something to find the answer to our problem. It is also not referring to a dog guiding us when we cannot see.
Scripture is referring to wise people. When we are faced with a decision in life, who do we go to in order to assist us in making a wise choice? Our verse says that when we have a decision to make and we do not seek wise guidance in said decision, we fall. When a blind person does not heed the direction of their guide dog, they will fall. What happens when we fall? We are injured. We skin up our knees or break a bone.
So it is when we have a decision to make and we do not seek wise counsel, we suffer some type of consequence for a poor choice. There are some major choices in life that are made and it is the wise person that seeks wise counsel in relation to these choices. How many times have we heard someone say, “I prayed about this and felt like the Lord was directing me…” Yet, when we look at Scripture we can see a clear directive that contradicts the choice the person was making. They were not seeking the Lord’s direction, they were seeking their own desires and put the stamp “I prayed about it” on their decision.
I recently listened to the book “The Power of Who” by Bob Beaudine, and in it he talks about having a “personal board of directors.” This board of directors is your personal abundance of counselors that this Proverb refers to. So often we take the path that leads to failure because this path is well worn and often this path offers the least amount of resistance in the moment. Many times we cannot see the forest for the trees as the famous saying goes. We need others that can see the path of our lives more clearly than we can see it. They have lived life longer than we have. Our board of directors usually knows us better than we know ourselves. Many of the decision we make involve our emotions, and our emotions are good at playing tricks on us.
So who should make up or “board of directors” or our “abundance of counselors?”
- Dad/Mom- who knows you better than your parents? They raised you and most parents have their children’s best interest at heart. They know things about you that you do not know about yourself. They see you and know your strengths and your weaknesses. They have lived life longer than you have and know you best. Your parents always have an opinion about the choices you make and as a general rule they would love to give you their opinion. Ask them for it and then listen to what they have to say. I don’t always like the things my dad has to say, but he has proven to be wise throughout my life the more humble I have gotten in listening to him. “Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Eph. 6:2, 3). When you honor your parents, God promised that it would go well with you. Do you want life to go well? Honor your parents and seek their wisdom. (Bob Beaudine said this was #1 in his book “The Power of Who”)
- Mate – If you are married, your mate also knows you well. Not only this, but every decision you make effects your mate. What job you take, how you raise the children, where to live, what car or house to buy, etc. Many decisions that we make in life effect our mates. We should always seek their counsel when making a decision and seek to make these major decision together. When a couple is married, they can together go their parents and seek their counsel for a decision that needs to be made.
- Your Pastor – what a blessing it is to be a part of a church family that helps us walk through life. Your pastor, Sunday school teacher, or wise mentor would love to give you wise counsel in the decisions that you make. They have spent much time counseling people and they have seen good choices and poor choices. These people will seek to give advice according God’s Word.
- Friends – our friends also know us well. They may have recently gone through a similar situation so they can tell you what they did and the impact that decision had on them.
From all of these people, we have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. How many of us wish we could have a “do-over?” I do. There are many things I wish I could “do-over.” So when someone asks me my opinion about something, I am going to first go to Scripture for principles that will guide the decision, and then I will draw on my bank of experiences and share the things that I did well or the things I wish I could have done differently.
Wise is the person who willingly seeks advice and counsel from others. Foolish is the person who makes a rash life altering decision without seeking the advice of others. Humility is a necessary ingredient in seeking the advice of others. For in so doing we will either fall or be safe.
The guide dogs I raised have a very valuable person at the end of the leash. They have great responsibility and will lead their person to fall or be safe. Will you choose to seek wise counsel in the decisions you make? Will you allow your “abundance of counselors” or “board of directors” to assist you in making wise choices? Safety or injury is at the end of the line. Don’t be fooled into thinking that bad things won’t happen to you, or there is no immediate crash after a decision. Some decisions do not reap the negative consequences until later in life.
