Just before starting this post I was digging around in my purse (which my mother says is the first sign of dementia - - - digging endlessly through one's purse. I don't know what the male corollary of that would be....). Anyway, I was digging in my purse for a contact form and found instead a pack of Juicy Fruit gum I had bought. It being around 4:00, a piece of Juicy Fruit sounded pretty good. So, here I sit, blogging and chewing and smacking and popping. I don't chew gum very often, but when I do, I certainly do make the most of it, usually to the chagrin of those around me.
BUT, my Juicy Fruit is not right!! Someone, somewhere, somehow convinced the manufacturer that the iconic Juicy Fruit gum would be "improved" if some of the sugar were removed and a sub-standard artificial sweetener were added.
Now, I have a thing about artificial sweeteners. I hate them. And, I can spot them a mile off. They are simply...repulsive tasting, as far as I am concerned....all of them. Furthermore, I think they are Frankenfood which will kill you. But, I digress.
The point is that someone, in my exalted opinion, gave the Juicy Fruit gum people some bad advice (counsel). The classic Juicy Fruit of my childhood is gone, corrupted, never more to return in its pristine, sugary state. It used to be you could smell the sugary flavor as soon as you opened the foil. No more.
Here's our verse for today (in case you thought I'd forgotten it...):
Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 15:22 (NIV)
The Juicy Fruit folks should have done more research on whether or not to alter (ruin) their gum. They should have asked a more diverse group to advise them on such a bone-headed move.
We have all made the same mistake, at one time or another.
We get a "bright idea" and, instead of vetting the idea properly, we seek the answers we want to hear. Once we hear what we wish to hear, off we go with our big plan, confident that we've "checked that box" signifying "vetting".
Every one of us needs at least one cheerleader, at least one Eeyore and several variations of both in between to help us vet our ideas.
I'm particularly bad at this. I usually don't seek counsel at all, sometimes not even God's.
And, the results are predictable.
At best, I have a "long row to hoe" - - - translation: a tough go of it.
At worst, well, as the verse says....plans fail.
What did I mean by an "Eeyore" in the paragraph above? At least one of our human counselors should be like the character Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Eeyore, you may remember (or not) was the floppy-eared donkey who spoke in a morose tone and had a dismally pessimistic attitude about virtually everthing. Eeyores will tick you off with their consistently negative advice, but they will also temper your expectations a bit. They will at least make you think about those other perspectives.
Unless you are like Eeyore, in which case you need a few Tiggers. ;)
You also need "detail people" and "big picture people" to advise you. Most people are either one or the other. If you love to focus on the details you need more "big picture" advice. If you are a visionary, you need folks to rein you in with their practicality.
The important point is to realize you don't know it all, nor are you the "complete package". Practice attracting to yourself those folks whose life missions are like yours, but whose tools, whose strengths are different. This life, as my pastor is fond of saying, is not meant to be lived in isolation. It is meant to be lived in community, with the members of the community, the tribe, supporting each other and complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses. TOGETHER, individual Christians represent Jesus Christ, because He created us to serve and love one another.
So, now, while you chew on that, I'm going to go spit out this abominable piece of awful gum!
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