Advice

Lately I've been trying to be intentional about seeing God's hand in the every day, which is quite hard when you are also trying to think on things that are true.  God isn't always obvious with his actions and sometimes they seem like coincidence, so its easy to say that its an overactive mind making connections that aren't there when this certain thing happens to be occurring right at this certain, ironic moment.

So on Sunday when the thought popped into my mind to ask Friend A for advice, I was aware that this might not be just a random thought but a thought from God.  I normally would not ask Friend A for advice.  In fact I don't really talk to Friend A for reasons that are entirely my fault (and for which I hope he knows how truly sorry I am).  So it was likely that this thought was not my own.  I thought "yeah, but..." and God answered my "yeah, but..." with an opportunity to speak to him.  And another and another.  I kept turning them down until finally as I was walking away the last time God stopped me and said, "Seriously?  You ask to see my hand and then ignore it when  I make it super-obvious."  So I turned around and marched right back in and asked A for the advice I needed.

Funny thing was, I knew exactly what he would say.  Not the exact words but the general idea.  I don't want to give too many details so forgive me for over-simplifying but essentially he said, "Suck it up and get over it." These were the words that I needed to hear and I knew it but for some reason I tried to argue with him once he said it.  In the middle of my sentence I stopped and said, "I should just stop talking and walk away and let you talk me out of doing something stupid.  I came to you so you'd talk me out of stupid actions and I'm not letting you do it."  He agreed with my sentiments about Friend B's actions and that should have been enough.

Isn't that the way it goes though?  We all want and seek advice but how often do we listen to it?  I catch myself doing this all the time.  I can't tell you how many times I've said or thought to myself, "If this were one of the girls in my dorm I'd tell her to..." but then not take that advice myself.  I believe my brother-in-law put it best when he said, "I am capable of making good decisions, the problem is that I just don't."  We all laughed at him because he was just so dang honest but I think that he probably speaks for the majority of humanity when he says that.  So often great advice is given but not taken and I will readily admit that I myself am guilty of letting good advice pass me by.




I probably should have made this post about things I'm thankful for seeing as its Thanksgiving today but this post has been working in my mind since Sunday and I took the first opportunity to write that I could.  Now the turkey needs to be put in the oven but I'll leave you with a brief summary of some things I'm thankful for today and everyday.

Family, friends, roommates, The Ransom and our beautiful new building, sunshine, turkey, days off, a job, a roof over my head, food to eat, clean water to drink, delicious teas including chai, Constant Comment, and a new favorite: Sleepytime.  I'm thankful for friends who say the hard things when I need to hear it and who lift me up when I'm down.  I'm thankful for a life group this past semester that was just simply rockin' and that there is a guitar sitting in my room right now and I actually know what to do with it.

Happy Thanksgiving!