But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)
As we end the week of focus on the discipline of counsel, I have a confession to make. As I have studied the Disciplines, the discipline of counsel is one that I have struggled with in application. At the root cause of this struggle is pride. For many years I know I operated under the premise that asking for advice is a sign of weakness. Interestingly, as my leadership roles and responsibilities grew in the workplace I quickly changed this view and became a firm believer in the notion that asking for advice can be a sign of strength. So, on the job I practice this discipline extensively. Unfortunately, this change in attitude has not fully transferred into practice in my “non-work” life. Outside work, I find it a lot easier to ask for prayer than to ask for advice. From my work experience, I know that this Discipline can have a materially positive impact but I need to apply it more in all areas of my life.
Just in case you are wondering whether you can rely on anything I have written earlier this week in light of my struggle, don’t worry:
- The material is in alignment with the Bible and ultimately, the counsel we are after must be from God (His wisdom is above all others)
- The concepts come from people who do a lot better at this than me :-).
So, as I close out this week, I ask not only for your prayers but also your advice.
April 7, 2014 at 9:35 pm
Sorry now seeing this … playing catch up.
If I may be so bold … I don’t see anything wrong with your attitude. We are all a work in progress…
Who is perfect anyway? (see for example 1 John 1:8)
You seem pretty balanced to me … that is recognizing there is (always) room for improvement.
Cheers.