February 26, Monday ~ Giving Up Lack of Counsel

DAY 11: Giving Up Lack of Counsel

Scripture

• 1 Kings 12:1-24

• 2 Timothy 3:10-4:3

Today, we are to give up the lack of counsel. If we say that in the affirmative, we are to seek advice from others. I think that in using the word “counsel,” Ressler elevates our advice-seeking to one that should be of quality, one that is informed, originating from seasoned sources, and not subject to the whims of society. “Yes-people” need not apply.

When I went to graduate school the first time, I was in my 30’s. I decided to do a “180” and switch from an undergraduate biochemistry background to a master’s program in the social sciences. I was ready for a change, so I chose a master’s course in Peace and Justice at a small Catholic University in my hometown. I think I was in shock the entire first semester. The familiar hard-core quantitative formulas, cycles, and facts of the sciences were few and far between. I was actually supposed to have an opinion! Opinions were frowned upon in the biochemistry lab, so I was at a loss. I barely got a B on my first significant paper in a class entitled Women, Faith and Justice and I had no idea how I could improve. I was a wreck but I had an amazing advisor, Sister Palmer, who happened to have multiple PhDs in more things than I can begin to recall.

Sister Palmer met with (a very tearful) me one afternoon and told me, “You don’t know what you don’t know. Broaden your base of understanding.” Then she made out a list of journals, authors, newspapers, poets and plays that I was supposed to start reading and following, each one coming from a different place on a social justice continuum. It was the best advice I have ever received. Sister Palmer was a very unlikely mentor for me. She did not look or sound like anyone I had in my life up to that point, but I have always hoped I could emulate her.  When Ressler asks us to “consider if the life you are living is the life you would want another person to live” (page 42), I think of her gracious inclusion and her ability to listen and not judge and give wise counsel.

In 2 Timothy, we are warned that just because we are Christians and trying to live a godly life, we will not be exempt from difficult times. Whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of fast gains and quick fixes because “wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived.”

Ressler’s first lines in both of his chapter sections, “Questions to Consider” and “Plan of Action,” involve looking at the mentors in your life. Try this exercise. Make a three-column list of (1) the name of a mentor, (2) a key phrase you remember them saying, and then (3) the value or attribute that was addressed in your life at that time. Pray over that list, thanking God for the presence and wisdom of this person and asking how that list can be augmented today. What wisdom should I be seeking today? Pray for the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, mind, and heart so you can hear good counsel when it shows up on your doorstep and starts knocking.

At any point if you are feeling overwhelmed by this content or just want to have a further discussion about the topic, feel free to contact pastormattbridges@gmail.com or wendy@encompassthespirit.com