Patching Cracks

 

February 2, 2022



Early in my career in ministry, a particular author wrote a series of popular books on dating and marriage. He was a young man and had been married for a short period of time. He was also good looking, charismatic, and had a great marketing department pushing his work. That individual made a great deal of money selling dating/marriage advice. Recently, he put out a statement indicating that his books were not very wise, and that he was sorry for any damage he caused. He mainly did so because Christian folks who read his work and followed his advice are now adults. Many of them have spoken out against his influence on Christian culture. As it turns out, a young man with almost no life experience might not be the best person to ask for direction in how to choose a spouse or maintain a marriage over the long haul. There is an interesting bit of wisdom to be found in this story. If I want money advice, I would go to someone who is financially successful. I would not do well to speak with someone who is constantly broke and up to their eyes in debt. Marriage and relationship guidance are valuable, but talking to a man with multiple divorces or no experience at all is a bad idea. It makes more sense to find someone who has managed to establish a healthy relationship and maintain it through a few decades. I suppose the point I am making can be summed up by saying: Seek wisdom from folks who have a record of being wise, not from folks who don’t know anything or haven’t succeeded in the areas where you are trying to learn. Perhaps more succinctly: Consider the source before taking direction. Our culture is infatuated with shiny new ideas or attractive young spokespersons. It is often the case that we consider very little of the source apart from whether or not it is a trend or attractive enough. Unfortunately, we live in a world where we get shiny new toys and then get rid of them when they stop being brand new. Diet advice, spiritual trends, parenting tips, relationship guides, and all sorts of other important components of our daily lives are trusted to sources that are genuinely untrustworthy. C.S. Lewis once said that it is important to read old books at least as often as you read new ones because old books have stood the test of time. Old books are either proven wrong by their failure in the real world, in which case we tend to forget them. Or else they are proven right and their wisdom is confirmed. I am not saying that all books and ideas from yesteryear are automatically better. Rather, I am suggesting that looking for wisdom in areas where it has been tested and proven is smarter than seeking it from folks who are just trying to convince you to buy their book today. We are surrounded by people who want to occupy our attention and speak wisdom into our lives. The biggest danger we face today in that environment is the same one that Jesus described when he told the parable of the man building his house on the rock and the one building on sand. The foundation we build our lives on will determine if the structure will stand the test of time. We must choose carefully before seeking counsel or direction. Some folks live without a foundation and their wisdom isn’t worth the sand it is built on.


 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 03/07/2024 12:07